Mass Effect : The reason we fight for
by ActionfreakXD
Summary: John found a lost and scared Miranda during her childhood after she ran away from the grasp of her father. Two innocents children were happy. But one day everything changed when they got separated from each other. This story is mostly about ShepMiri and their devotion to each other.
1. A distress call

Chapter 1: A Distress Call

John Shepard was standing inside the prototype vessel, the Normandy SSR – he was looking out of the window towards dark space. He practically wasn't observing anything, he was just standing there staring at the dark space deep in his thoughts. The words of his superiors – Captain Anderson, Admiral Hackett, and Human Ambassador Udina were still ringing in his ears.

" _Well, what about Shepard? He grew up in the colonies." said Udina_

" _He knows tough life can be out there. He lost someone very close to him there when the slaver attacked Mindoir." said Anderson_

" _He proved himself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces until reinforcements arrived." said Hackett_

" _He is the only reason Elysium is still standing." said Anderson_

" _We can't question his courage." said Udina_

" _Humanity needs a hero and Shepard's the best we got." said Anderson with pride in his voice._

" _I'll make the call." said Udina._

He still didn't know what to make of that conversation but of course he understood what they wanted him to be. A Spectre. He really didn't need this, he is fine working under Captain Anderson as his XO of the Normandy. But he will accept the Spectre status for humanity's sake and of course for _her_. He knows that she would have been happy for him if he became a Spectre. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. They work directly for the Citadel Council. They usually work alone or in small groups. They don't have official power, though. They are a shadow organization with a mandate to preserve and protect galactic stability. Protect it at any cost. Spectres operate above the law. Then Joker's voice broke his thoughts.

"The Arcturus Prime relay in range. Initiating transmission sequence." Shepard heard the voice of Jeff Moreau commonly known as Joker, the pilot of the Normandy in the comm. He got salutes and nods from Corporal Jenkins, Navigator Pressly, and other marines in the Command Deck as he was walking towards the bridge to talk with Joker and Major Kaidan Alenko. "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination. The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit. The board is green. Approach run has begun. Hitting the relay in 3,2,1…" Joker was still taking on the comm. Shepard was standing behind Joker's seat and watching the process of jumping mass relays.

"Thrusters…check. Navigation…check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500k." Joker gave the status report.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." complemented Nihlus, a Turian Spectre. Then he turned around and left.

"I hate that guy." Exclaimed Joker

"Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?" asked Kaidan

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit the target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" And there was that arrogant side of Joker when he wastes no time in pointing out his prowess to others but he was indeed an exceptional pilot. He continued, "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"You always expect the worst." Shepard said.

"Well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason, so what are we doing here? Joker defended himself. He was about to say something more when Captain Anderson's voice interrupted his bickering.

"Joker! Status report." Ordered Anderson in the comm.

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Said Anderson.

"I am on my way." Shepard said.

"Pff. Is it me or does the captain always sound a little pissed off?" Joker asked to no one in particular.

"Only when he is talking to you Joker." Kaidan joked. Shepard turned around and left Kaidan and Joker with their argument and headed towards the comm room. On the way over there, he found that Navigator Pressly and Engineer Adams were talking about having Nihlus on board the Normandy. He approached Pressly and talked with him and found that he wasn't too happy to have a Spectre on board. The reason Pressly gave for his attitude towards Nihlus was because Nihlus is a Turian and he hates Turians because his grandfather lost a lot of friends in the First Contact War when the Turians attacked. Shepard made him see that he can't blame Nihlus for that, because it was thirty years ago and a lot of things have changed now. But he had no complaints regarding Captain Anderson. Shepard had none either. He respects the man. He is his mentor and like a father whom he never knew. Then he heard Corporal Jenkins was talking with Doctor Chakwas, the Normandy's Chief Medical Officer.

"I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc. It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There is something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission." Said Jenkins

"That's crazy. The Captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre." Replied Doctor Chakwas

"Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill who ever gets in their way."

"You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins."

"What do you think, Commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime for too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!" Jenkins asked Shepard.

"I sincerely hope you are kidding, Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." Chakwas joked.

"You need to calm down, Corporal. A good soldier stays cool, even under fire." Shepard advise Jenkins.

"Sorry, Commander. But this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!"

"Just treat this like any other assignment you've had and everything will work out." Shepard said.

"Easy for you to say. You proved yourself in the Blitz. Everyone knows what you can do. This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You are young, Corporal. You have a long career ahead of you. Be careful in the field. I don't want to lose anyone on my squad."

"Don't worry, sir. You won't lose me." Jenkins smiled and walked away.

"How are you fairing Doctor?" Shepard asked.

"I am doing quite well, Commander. It's you I am worried about."

"I am fine, Doctor."

"Commander, I know this is a very personal matter. But there is no need to hide it from me and if I am not mistaken, you had that dream again?" Chakwas asked. Shepard hesitated for a bit.

"You know me well, Doctor." He sighed as he rubbed his hand over his forehead.

"Commander, I don't know want to say this, but I think it's time for you to move on."

"I can't do that Doctor. To tell you the truth, I even tried believing that maybe I will never find her. But I couldn't."

"Commander…"

"I know you mean well Doctor, but I can't forget about her. I failed her before, but I will not fail her again."

"Stop blaming yourself Commander. You were only 16. There was nothing you could do. But if my memory serves me right, I think you told me that you let yourself get caught so that she could save herself. You put your life in danger for her and I think she is grateful for that."

"Still…"

"No Commander. You can't think of yourself like that. You did more than what was expected of you. And if she loves you like you do, I believe she is out there somewhere, waiting for you or trying to find you."

"Yeah. You are right Doctor. I should clear my mind." As Shepard tried to clear his mind, old memories of his childhood and of the one he loved came back flooding his mind.

[/\\]

 **19 YEARS AGO, MINDOIR COLONY ATTICAN TRAVERSE**

The day was pretty boring for an 11 year old John. Heck, to him everyday was boring. He has no friends, or family. He was all alone in this world. Sometimes when he laid in his bed at night, he would cry silently. He also doesn't know the identity of his parents. This made him even more depressed that he doesn't even know who he is. He would of died of hunger if the man named David Levinson hadn't found him and let him work in his shop. David was also kind enough to help him rent an apartment. At first, he was living in an orphanage, which was destroyed when the slavers attacked. Most of the children died, and those who survived were taken away as prisoners. He somehow managed to hide himself from the slavers. And from then on, he wandered in the streets, tired and hungry. Then one day, David found him when he was crying due to how hungry he was. From then on, he was working in David's shop.

John was walking along the street unmindfully thinking about his heritage, and how he survived his encounter with the slavers. He just got out from his job in David's shop and was walking towards his home. Then he heard a faint sound of someone crying. He looked around but couldn't see anybody. So he started walking in the direction he thought the sound was coming from. After looking for a bit, he found the source of the sound. A girl, her face hidden in her palms, was crying. She was sitting at the end of a dark alley. He slowly approached her, trying not to frighten her. At the sounds of his footsteps, the girl looked up towards him. He was stunned. He was a child himself, but when he saw the girl's face, only a single thought came to mind, _she was stunningly beautiful_. She has shoulder length dark hair, a pale face with a pair of blue eyes and the skin of her face was flawless. As soon as the girl saw him, she cringed away in fear. He sat down on the street in front of her and gave her a big smile.

So he started walking towards the direction he thought the sound was coming from.

"Hello!" he greeted her. The girl seemed confused at his actions because she didn't say anything. He continued, "Hey, I am John. I am not going to harm you." He extended his right hand towards her for her to shake it. The girl looked at his hand but never took it. Realizing that she won't take his hand, he retracted it away from her, but never dropped his smile. He said again,

"Hey, I am John. You are?" Still she didn't say anything. He continued, "Why are you crying? Tell me, I can help you." He smiled at her. Now the girl seemed hesitant. It looked as if she was thinking about weather to trust him or not. But she spoke at last, "Why do you want to help me?" She asked with suspicion in her eyes. _Wow1 She has a great voice._ He thought. Then he saw that she was looking at him expectantly and realized that he hasn't answered her question yet, because she was too busy thinking about her voice. His cheeks turned red from embarrassment, but thankfully, the ally was dark and she didn't see it. He cleared his throat to speak.

"I know the feeling of being alone and helpless. I don't want anyone to suffer what I have faced in my life. So…"

"I am hungry." The girl quickly stated.

"Come with me. I will give you food in my apartment." At the mention of taking her to his apartment, she jumped away from him immediately. "I don't believe you. " She said. Now he couldn't understand how he will convince her that he meant well.

"Well, you are justified not to trust me. I am a complete stranger to you. But I assure you that…" He stopped as he could see three boys enter the ally and were approaching them. When they came near, he recognized as bullies who beat up other children around.

"Well! Well! Look what we have here." Said one of them. The other two sniggered. He approached the girl and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Well isn't she pretty?" The other two had evil smiles on their faces. She tried to move his hand away from her chin, but she was unsuccessful as he was much stronger and bigger than her. Still, she struggled to get herself free.

"Stop it girly, or the consequences will be bad." Said the boy. John was fuming in anger. He always hated bullies.

"Leave her alone." John stated in a cold voice. The three boys looked at him surprised. The one who was bullying the girl smirked, "Ohh, we are so scared. Let's run or he will beat us to a pulp for touching his girlfriend." The other two laughed out loudly. John glared at them.

"Leave her or I will…" John warned.

"You'll do what, kid? said one of them. Without answering them he punched the boy who was holding the girl, straight in the nose. The pain made the boy release the girl from his grasp.

"Damn it! He broke my nose! Get him." The boy ordered his companions. The other two immediately lunged at him. One grabbed him from the back and the other punched him in the stomach. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground clutching his stomach. They began to kick him mercilessly. Blood came out of his mouth, nose and ears. He was helpless to do anything. But what happened next was beyond anyone's imagination. One of the boys beating up John suddenly flew away and smashed into a wall. He fell to the ground unconscious. The other two were dumbfounded. Then they looked at the girl and saw that she was glowing with dark energy around her. There eyes bulged. John took the chance, even though his body was aching in pain from the beating he just took. He grabbed a stone that was lying in the streets and hit one of the boys in the back of his head, rendering him unconscious. But the other one with a bleeding nose was quick. He punched John square in the jaw. Blood spluttered from his mouth as he was thrown away. He laid on the ground seeing stars in his eyes and a throbbing pain on his chin. The bully turned to the girl. She was lying on the ground breathing heavily, exhausted from using her biotics.

"Now you deserve a punishment little girl. I thought I would go easy on you, but now you will see the consequences of messing with me." He sneered. Then he grabbed her and tried to tear her clothes. She screamed and struggled to get free. "No one will hear you girly, scream as much as you want." He said with an evil smile. John was watching the whole scene. Seeing what the boy was trying to do to the girl, a strange sense of protectiveness for the girl arose within him and something burst inside him in his anger. The boy was still laughing as he attempted to tear her clothes. But his laugh didn't last long as he received a punch in the jaw, which almost shattered it. The girl and the boy both looked up and both of their eyes became wide. Standing in front of them was John. His entire body was glowing blue with dark energy much brighter than the girl and the cornea of his eyes were no longer there. Instead, his eyes were glowing bright blue like his entire body. The girl's jaw dropped. John grabbed the bully and easily lifted him up with one hand by his clothes.

"Please let me go! Don't kill me please!" said the bully trembling in fear. John gritted his teeth in anger. He turned towards the girl and saw both amazement and fear in her eyes. He faced the bully once again.

"Never do this again." He said in a much colder voice than before. The bully just nodded. Then he threw him away. He fell to the ground and ran away. As soon as his anger dissipated, the energy surrounding him vanished and he felt exhaustion like never before. He fell to the ground. Before he become unconscious, he saw with his hazy eyes that the girl was hovering over him and looking at him with concern in her eyes. After that, he saw blackness.

When John regain consciousness, he felt his entire body was aching in pain. He then suddenly realized that he has his head on something soft. He became confused and opened his eyes and saw that he was lying on the ground with his head on the girl's lap. _She is still here._ He slowly sat up. The movement awakened her from her sleep.

"You alright?" She asked him immediately.

"I think so…"he replied. He flinched as pain shot through his abdomen. He saw that she was looking at him with gratefulness and concern in her eyes.

"I don't know why you saved me, but…thank you. If not for you, I would…"She was cut off by John.

"It was nothing. Besides you were in need and I helped. It's nothing to thank for. Anyone would have done the same thing. But you are welcome as you said 'thank you' to me." He stated simply and flashed her a smile.

"Miranda…" she said quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't get that."

"Miranda. My name is Miranda Lawson, but you can call me Miri." She said with a smile.

"Well you said your name at last. Phew! I get you to speak your name. That's a success. You have a nice name, but I like the name 'Miri' more." He grinned at her. She laughed at him and blushed. He continued, "So I presume you trust me somewhat now?" She nodded in agreement, still blushing. He laughed, but stopped immediately from the pain in his jaw. She immediately came forward and touched his face. As soon as she touched his face, they both flinched as an immediate shock went through them. She retracted her hands from his face. "Your jaw is bruised." He pouted. But immediately changed the mood with his joke, "I bet the girls will like me now if they saw this bruise."

"What?" She seemed confused.

"Well some girls like bad boys. Maybe this bruise will prove that I am a bad boy and you know…" He stopped as she laughed out loud at his joke. He grinned at her.

"You are so silly." She said in between her laughter. Then her stomach growled.

"Looks like someone is hungry." He said while chuckling. She pouted. "What?" he asked seeing her reaction.

"Is your offer still open?" she asked him.

"Yes, of course." He smiled brightly.

"Good, because I am starving." She stated and helped him up. She ordered him to lean on her as they walked towards his home.

[/\\]

"Clear your mind, Commander. You are going on a mission. You should stay cool–headed as you told Jenkins."

"I know Doctor Chakwas. It's getting late and the Captain is waiting for me." Chakwas nodded as he walked towards the comm room.

COMM ROOM

"Commander Shepard, I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk. I am interested in this world we are going to – Eden Prime. I have heard it's quite beautiful." Said Nihlus.

"I've never been there." Said Shepard.

"But you know of it. It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

"Do you know something?"

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy is a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

"I think its about time we told the Commander what is really going on." Said Anderson.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Interjected Nihlus.

"Is someone going to fill me in, Captain?" Shepard asked.

"We are making a covert pick–up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth system operational." Said Anderson.

"There must be a reason you didn't tell me this, sir." Said Shepard.

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need–to–know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

"I thought the Protheans vanished 50000 years ago."

"Their legacy still remains. The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives – it's based on Prothean technology." Said Nihlus.

"This is big Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study." Anderson stated.

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space." Nihlus stated.

"Why didn't we keep the beacon to ourselves?" Shepard asked.

"You humans don't have the best reputation. Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous." Answered Nihlus.

"Sharing that beacon will improve our relations with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do." said Anderson.

"The beacon's not the only reason I am here, Shepard." Nihlus said. Shepard looked confused.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you." Anderson cleared his confusion.

"What's going on Captain? he asked.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come." Anderson answered.

"You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single–handed. You showed not only courage, but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres." Said Nihlus.

"Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" asked Shepard.

"Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy…and to the Spectres. We are an elite group. It's rare an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you are human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job." Nihlus explained.

"Just tell me what I have to do." Stated Shepard.

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together." Nihlus added.

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission." Said Anderson.

"Why is the beacon so important?"

"All advanced galactic civilization is based on Prothean technology. Even yours." Said Nihlus.

"If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins buried on Mars, we'd be still stuck on Earth. That was a small data cache. Who knows what we can learn from this beacon. What if it's a weapon archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands." Answered Anderson.

"Like who?" Asked Shepard.

"The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space. There are plenty of raiders and criminal groups active in the region. They might figure a Prothean beacon is worth the risk of attacking an Alliance ship. Plus, Eden Prime is right on the boarder of the Terminus Systems." Answered Anderson

"The Attican Traverse is under Citadel protection. If the Terminus Systems attack, it's an act of war." Shepard stated.

"Technically, yes. But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to start a war over this." Nihlus agreed.

"The last thing the Council wants is to dragged into a major conflict with the Terminus Systems. We have to keep this low–key." Said Anderson.

"Just give the word, Captain." Said Shepard.

"We should be getting close to Eden…" Anderson was cut off by Joker's voice in the comm. "Captain! We've got a problem." Said Joker.

"What's wrong, Joker?" asked Anderson.

"Tranmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!" said Joker.

"Bring it up on the screen." Ordered Anderson.

When the screen turned on, they saw that Eden Prime was under chaos. Soldiers were screaming orders and reported heavy casualties and asking for reinforcements. Then the screen focused on a huge, strange ship. It had four tentacles and red lighting was sparking in it's entire body and people screaming. Then the transmission cut off. Anderson asked for a status report and Joker reported that there is no Alliance ship near Eden Prime. Anderson ordered Joker to fly towards Eden Prime. He stated that Nihlus will accompany Shepard.

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold. Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up. You are going in Commander…" said Anderson.


	2. A rogue Spectre

Chapter 2: A Rouge Spectre

EDEN PRIME, FEW MINUTES LATER…

"Somebody was doing some serious digging here, Captain." Joker informed through the comm.

"Your team is the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site." Said Anderson.

"What about survivors, Captain?" Kaidan asked.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon is your top priority." Said Anderson.

"Nihlus? You are coming with us?" asked Jenkins.

"I move faster on my own." Replied Nihlus. He then jumped down from the Normandy and moved towards his objective.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission, otherwise I want radio silence." Anderson ordered.

"We've got his back, Captain." Shepard assured.

"The mission is yours now Shepard. Good luck." Said Anderson.

"We are approaching drop point two." Joker informed through comm. Shepard gave a nod to Anderson and prepared to descend on Eden Prime with Kaidan and Jenkins.

After landing they made sure that the Normandy's permeter was secure. Nihlus informed them through radio that enemies are swarming the area. They began to move slowly keeping their guard up.

"God, what happened here?" Said Jenkins. Shepard stopped him because he heard something. Then they saw two combat drones approaching them. John ordered Kaidan and Jenkins to get to cover and he himself dove behind a rock. He knew that these assault drones has heavy fire power which will be able cut through their shields and armor within seconds. But Jenkins began to fire on the drones instead of going to cover. The consequence was imminent. Both the drones focused on Jenkins and put their heavy fire on him, which tore through his shields and armor. He dropped dead on the ground immediately. "Shit" John cursed under his teeth.

"Kaidan overload the drone's shield on your left." Shepard ordered. He nodded and used overload on the drone at his left side. The drone's shield went down immediately and he finished it off with two bursts from his shotgun. Meanwhile, John switched to disrupter ammo in his assault rifle and opened fire on the remaining drone from cover. The disrupter ammo dropped its shield and the rapid fire from his assault rifle destroyed its armor, finishing it off. They made sure the area was clear before moving towards Jenkin's body. Kaidan began to check on him.

"Tore through his shield and armor. Never stood a chance." Explained Kaidan. John didn't say anything. "Commander?" he asked.

"He deserves a proper burial. When we finish our mission, we will make sure that he gets a proper burial. But we must push foreword to the dig site and I need you to stay focused."

"Aye, aye Sir!"

Shepard and Kaidan barely moved a few meters ahead when they were again attacked be combat drones. This time, Shepard didn't even give Kaidan any time to attack the drones, as he destroyed both the drones with his shotgun with exceptional agility and quickness.

"These are geth drones Commander." Kaidan informed.

"Then the geth are nearby. Let's move."

Again they encountered a few more drones. After taking care of them, they pushed towards the dig site. They reached near their destination without further resistance. They noticed that the geth were there along with the female marine who they saw on the video. She was pinned down by the geth.

"Kaidan provide covering fire. I will try to get behind them." Shepard ordered.

Kaidan nodded and started to provide suppressive fire with his assault rifle. Shepard sneaked behind the geths and took them out from behind with his shotgun. After seeing the fight was over, both Kaidan and the female marine lowered their guns. She walked towards Shepard, realizing that he was the team leader and her savior.

"Thank you Commander. I thought that…" she stopped. She saw with horror that Shepard was aiming his shotgun at her and even before she could blink, he fired at her. But the shot never hit her. Instead she heard a mechanical groan behind her. She turned around and saw that a geth is lying on the ground, clearly dead and its cloak slowly fading away. she turned back towards Shepard, clearly impressed his ability and skill and she was also impressed in other ways… _by his looks. She saw Commander Shepard in the news and extranet many times and it clearly showed how much handsome he is but watching on the video feed was nothing compared to watching him directly in front of her. This man is a hero and she knew… not only herself but also everyone knew that every human woman desires him…hell she even saw some asaris gossip about him._

"No need to thank me marine. You are?" Shepard asked.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, sir." she saluted him.

"Are you wounded Williams?"

"A few scrapes and burns but nothing serious. Others weren't so lucky." She replied.

"What happened here?"

"Oh, man… We were patrolling the perimeter when they attacked us. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut all our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where is the rest of your squad?"

"We tried to double back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush. I don't think any of the others…I think I am the only one left."

"Are they all geths?"

"Yes sir."

"The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?" Kaidan asked Ashley.

""They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close. Just over the rise. It might still be there." Ashley replied.

"We could use your help, Williams." Shepard said.

"I am with you, sir." Ashley smiled.

Kaidan rolled his eyes. _'Not again.' he thought. He knew where this was heading, as usual. Ashley Williams is clearly taken to the Commander…her expression and the way she is looking at him tells Kaidan its true. This always happens. Every lady who meets the Commander, wanted to be with him within a few minutes of knowing him. Maybe it's the Commander's charm or personality, maybe both which draws females without the Commander even trying to do that. If truth be told he is sometimes jealous…no, absolutely not, maybe envious, yes…that's right, envious of the Commander._ _But strangely, Kaidan always observed that the Commander never encouraged women that he likes them and he never pursued them, even though women always wanted to woo him. He either remained strictly professional or established a relationship of merely friendship and certainly not friends with benefits thing. It's not that the women who desired him were always bad women… well most of them were nice. But the Commander didn't even look at them, he never did. Joker also told him about Shepard being reluctant to establish a romantic relationship with a woman. He really cannot find any possible reason, because as far as he knew and observed, he knows that the Commander doesn't have a girlfriend or a wife or a family. But for now, he decided to let it go because he realized that it's the Commander's personal matter, so he turned his concentration on the conversation between Williams and the Commander._

"Tell me about the beacon." Shepard said.

"They were doing some diging out here to extend the monorail and expand the colony. A few weeks ago, they unearthed some Prothean ruins…the beacon. Suddenly, every scientific expert in the colony was interested. That's when they brought us in to secure the site. I don't know much about the beacon itself, but I heard one of the researchers say the could be the discovery of the century."

"What happened to the researchers at the dig site?"

"I don't know. They set up camp near the beacon. The 232 was with them. Maybe there unit fared better than mine."

"Describe what happened leading up to the attack."

"We were sent out a couple of nights ago from the main colony to secure the area. Seemed like a routine patrol until the geth hit us. We never knew they were coming."

"Have you seen a turian Spectre around here?"

"There aren't that any turians on Eden Prime. None that I have ever met. Not sure I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre anyway."

"If you saw this guy, you'd know. Carries enough firepower to wipe out a whole platoon. Luckily, he's on our side." Kaidan said.

"Sorry. Like I said, no turians." Ashley shrugged a bit.

"Let's move out then." Shepard ordered.

After a few minutes, they reached the did site to find that it was empty.

"This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved." Said Ashley.

"By whom? Our side? Or the geth?"

"Hard to say. Maybe we will know more after we check out the research camp." Ashley replied.

"You think anyone got out of here alive?" Shepard asked.

"If they were lucky. Maybe hiding up in the camp. It's just on top of this ridge. Up the ramps." Ashley said.

"Wait." Shepard stopped his team as they were about to move. He started to speak with Nihlus in his comm. "Go on Nihlus, I can here you."

"Change of plans, Shepard. There is a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I will wait for you there." With that Nihlus ended the conversation.

"Ok team, let's move." Shepard ordered. Soon they reached the camp and saw the destruction there.

"Looks like they hit the camp hard." Ashley murmured.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaidan advise.

"Looks like the camp is empty, no hostiles and no survivors either." Ashley informed.

"What the hell are those?" Kaidan asked pointing to a few metal pillars on which some human bodies were stuck and hanging form them. But they didn't look human anymore. They were like skeletons and they were totally changed. There was no skin on their bodies, instead their bodies were covered with an unknown substance which was radiating a blue light from their bodies. They had some kind of mechanical robotic eyes with the same blue glow.

"Oh, god! They are still alive." Ashley exclaimed in horror as she saw them move.

"What did the geth do to them?" Kaidan shouted while readying his rifle. Then he saw that the metal pillars were lowering and the mutated human beings detached themselves from the pillar and started to move towards them.

" _Abominations_." Said Shepard in a strangly calm voice.

"What?" Kaidan asked and when he turned to look at Shepard, his eyes became wide. He saw that Shepard's eyes were glowing blue, but not like the husks strange blue color. It was the color of blue dark energy, _biotics_. Kaidan blinked his eyes and next time when he saw Shepard, he saw that his eyes normal as usual. _Did he see that right?_ He dismissed the idea realizing that it must be the light from those monsters that were reflecting on the glass of Shepard's helmet, which made it seem like his eyes were glowing. So he concentrated on his enemies. After killing those things, Shepard learned a few things about the creatures.

"Listen, These things don't have armor, so it would be fairly easy to take them out but they are quick and attack in numbers. So don't let them corner you. Kill them hard and fast." Shepard advised his teammates.

"Yes, Sir." They replied in understanding. After that, they killed a few more of those creatures on their way. Shepard saw that Ashley Williams got herself pretty well adjusted with them and she has no problems regarding taking orders from him.

"Are they all dead?" Kaidan asked looking for more of those creatures. Then he saw a body of a turian lying on the ground a few feet away from them. It was Nihlus.

"Commander, its Nihlus. He is dead. He was shot at the back of his head."

"A turian? You know him?" Ashley asked Shepard.

"He's a Spectre. I was asking about him." Shepard replied.

"Something is moving! Over behind those crates!" Ashley warned them in a low voice. They all moved towards the crates with their weapons raised. A man stood up from behind the crates with his hands over his head.

"Wait! Don't…don't shoot! I am one of you! I am human!" He pleaded.

"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" Shepard told him.

"I…I am sorry. I was hiding from those creatures. My name is Powell. I saw what happened to the turian. The other one shot him." Powell explained.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shepard asked him, confused.

"There were two turians here. Your friend and the other one is called Saran. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed relaxed. He let his guard down…and Saran killed him. Shot him right in his head. I am just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

"Damn! We were told a Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport. What happened to it?"

"It's over on the other platform. Probably where that guy Saran was headed. He hopped on a cargo train right after he killed your friend. I know that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind those crates I'd be dead too."

"How come you are the only one that survived? Why didn't anyone else tried to hide behind the crates?" Shepard asked with suspicion.

"They never had a chance. I…I was already behind the crates when the attack started."

"Wait a minute. You were hiding behind the crates before the attack?" Kaidan asked.

"I…sometimes I need to nap to het through my shift. I sneak up behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me." Powell answered.

"You survived because you were lazy?" Ashley said with disgust.

"If I hadn't snuck off for that nap, you'd probably be dead just like the others." Shepard saved him realizing that the man was telling the truth.

"Yeah. Yeah. I guess. I don't really want to think about it." Powell said.

"Alright, tell me about the geth attack."

"It was quick. One minute, that ship was descending. The next, those geths were swarming over the platform, thousands of them. They must have been inside that mother ship. They shot anything that moved. It was a massacre." Powell explained the situation to Shepard.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the beacon?" Shepard asked.

"They brought it here this morning. We loaded it up onto the train and shipped it to the other platform. Hard to believe that was only a few hours ago. Feels like a whole other life."

"Describe the _mother ship_ you saw."

"I have never seen anything like it before. It…it was huge. Landed over near the platform. The whole place got dark as it came down. And…and it was making this…this sound that bored right into your brain. That's what woke me up. The attack came a few minutes later."

"We need to find that beacon before it is too late." Shepard said to his teammates.

"Take the cargo train. That's where the other turian went. I…I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this." Powell ran away after giving them the information.

"Let's move out." Shepard ordered. They didn't even move five meters, when they were again attacked by the geths. Ashley and Kaidan took out several of them, leaving Shepard to only deal with two. Shepard lobbed one grenade at the one hiding behind the crates, killing it effectively. He threw that grenade while he was running and after throwing it, slide across the ground and shooting simultaneously and took out the last geth behind the cover to his right.

"The cargo train is at the end of that pathway, let's move out." Shepard said.

"Commander! Look out a Geth Prime!" Ashley warned.

"Ashley behind the crate to your left and be ready with your sniper. Kaidan and me will drain its shield for you to take the shot." Shepard said to Ashley. She immediately took cover behind the crate to her left readying her sniper rifle. Kaidan overloaded the geth prime's shield draining it partially and he and Shepard took down the rest of its shield with heavy fire. Ashley was ready. She shot it immediately after its shield went down. She took it down with a single shot to the head.

"There's the pathway. It must lead us to the cargo train, Commander." Said Kaidan. They reached the narrow pathway and immediately took heavy fire from geth troops.

"Shit! There are too many of them and this path too narrow to avoid being shot." Shouted Ashley in the midst of the shooting.

"Don't worry Williams, the Commander is here. He will find a way. He always does." Kaidan assured Ashley.

"Kaidan, Williams, stay behind the cover and snipe them." Shepard indicated towards the geths at the far end of the pathway.

"Aye, aye Commander." They both said in unison. The trio took all the geth down except for one, which was at the farthest end of the pathway behind cover, armed with a missile launcher. It was behind cover in such a way that they could not even target him with a sniper. Kaidan tried to push foreword but he was forced to take cover as heavy missile fire rained down on him, draining his shield in the process.

"Damn it! It took down my shield." Kaidan informed and jumped behind cover to avoid taking damage.

"We can't move Commander. He has us pinned down and he is behind good cover." Ashley said while she continued to shoot at the geth, preventing it from boarding the cargo train.

"Williams, come to my position. You will get a shot at him." Shepard said. Ashley moved to Shepard's position and tried to scope the geth with her sniper but after looking for a few seconds, she discovered a gap through which she could see the geth, barely. The gap was the size of a keyhole she could see the geth through her scope for just a few milliseconds. She realized that this was an impossible shot. The bullet won't go through the gap.

"Commander, this is an impossible shot!" she shouted. Shepard looked at her and indicated her to take back your pervious position. Shepard took the sniper from her and went back to his sniping position.

"I am taking it down. Force it to show its head." Shepard said to them. Ashley was about to say something but she stopped as a missile missed her by inches and she dove for cover. She wondered after taking cover, how on earth will he shoot that geth, it's impossible. She resumed firing bullets at the geth, keeping it in its place. Then she heard the sound of a sniper shot. She peeked from cover and her eyes became wide. She saw the geth geth was lying on the ground, clearly dead and its head is blown away from the sniper shot.

"How did…" Ashley stated with amazement in her face and her mouth hanging open. Kaidan smirked at her reaction.

"Let's go to the controls of the cargo train." Shepard ordered. Kaidan smirked again and moved towards the train. Ashley was still standing at her position with her mouth hanging open. At Shpeard's voice she got out of her trance and followed them to the train.

FEW MINUTES LATER…

"Damn! Commander, the geths are setting charges. They want to blow this place apart." Said Kaidan.

"I will diffuse the charges. You and Williams cover my back." Shepard ordered.

"You got it sir." Ashley said.

Then a heavy fire fight started. Shepard quickly disabled the first charge while Ashley and Kaidan rained hell on the geths. After searching, disabling all the charges and fighting off the geths, they finally reached the place where the beacon was. But immediately, they were ambushed by abominations. The trio worked in unison and killed the abominations in no time. The last few abominations were killed by Kaidan's inferno grenade.

"I think that's the last of them." Kaidan sighed.

"I hate those things." Ashley said with disgust in her voice.

"Normandy, the beacon is secured. Request immediate evac." Shepard said in the comm.

"This is amazing. Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable." Said Kaidan while watching the beacon.

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." Ashley said.

"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.

"I mean, it wasn't activated then, but now something has done it." She replied and slowly walked towards the beacon. But soon realized her mistake. AS she came within three feet distance from it, the beacon began to pull her towards it with an invisiable but extremely powerful force. She tried her best, but couldn't free herself from the force which was dragging her towards the beacon. She fell down and desperately tried to claw at the ground to prevent herself from getting dragged towards the beacon, but her actions were fruitless ground had nothing at which she could grab on. Shepard was talking with Joker in his comm with his back turned towards the beacon so they did not see Ashley. But as soon as he heard her desperate cry, he immediately ran towards her. He quickly grabbed her hand but immediately found himself being dragged towards the beacon along with Ashley. He used all his strength and yanked her free from the pulling force of the beacon but he couldn't free himself. He was pulled towards the beacon and found himself being lifted off from the ground and immediately felt an immense pain inside his head. Ashley wanted to ran towards Shepard to save him but Kaidan stopped her.

"No! No! Don't touch him. It's too dangerous." Kaidan stopped her by grabbing her tightly with his arms.

Shepard saw a vision while being suspended in mid–air. _The whole galaxy was in chaos, everything is dying everywhere and a war against thousands of mother ships similar to the one he saw. But he saw the most terrifying thing next – his worst nightmare. He saw himself standing in front of a round platform in a strange place and on the platform stood a girl with raven black hair. My God! It's her. Suddenly, the platform on which she stood on gave away and she slid down with her hands outstretched towards him, eyes wide with fear and silently begging him to catch her. He immediately jumped after her but he couldn't prevent her from falling into the dark void. He watched in horror as she fell but while falling, she said to him, "Find me John, I am waiting for you."_

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted as he saw her disappearing into darkness. After that, he saw blackness._

At the same time at an unknown distance and place far away from Eden Prime, a woman woke up in her bed from her nightmare, sweating and breathing heavily and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she started sobbing loudly with her face buried in her pillows.


	3. The Cerberus Operative

AT A BAR IN PLANET ILLIUM

Two men were sitting face to face in a table quietly sipping their drink. One man was Asian and the other one was mean looking but from his outfit it was evident that he was extremely rich. He was smoking a cigar and looking at the asari dancer with lustful eyes who was dancing on their table. The Asian man named Mr. Chang spoke after some time, "Are you sure they are not following you here Mr. Simpson?"

"Positively. I left no trace back there that I am here and they can't do anything here, this place is heavily guarded and I also have my personal bodyguard with me." The mean looking man named Mr. Simpson indicated towards the krogan sitting in a table few feet away from them.

"But I don't get it, why they are after you?" Mr. Chang asked.

"Took a lot of credits for them against the goods they demanded but I didn't dispatched them the goods." Mr. Simpson replied smugly.

"Why didn't you? If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all. I just got a better customer than them after taking the credits and I didn't return them the credits because I needed that credit to meet some losses I incurred in my factory."

"Mr. Simpson you should have known better. They don't take betrayal lightly." Mr. Chang said. Mr. Simpson didn't answered him for a while he just puffed on his cigar. Finally he said in an almost inaudible tone, "I know….." but he stopped in mid-sentence as his eyes fell on a woman standing a few feet away from him and smirking at him. _She is sexy and hot….. Correction, she is the sexiest and hottest woman he had ever seen._ As he observed her body she gave him a seductive smile. After that Mr. Simpson couldn't control himself any longer. He have to meet her and if things go well soon he will be getting what he wanted from her. He stood up and walked towards her where she was standing at a corner of the bar leaning against a wall sipping her drink. He stood for a few moments in front of her, admiring her body. His eyes were glued to her breasts. She saw that and smirked again at him.

"See anything you like?" she asked with a smug smile. Mr. Simpson unwillingly took his eyes away from her breasts and looked at her face. She has shoulder length blonde hair and a pair of beautiful blue eyes. _She is the image of perfection,_ he thought.

"I am Mr. Simpson. You probably saw me in the news many times." He started to praise himself to impress her.

"OH MY GOD! You are Mr. Simpson – the famous businessman. Yes, yes you are. How I couldn't recognize you?" She said in a way as if she was ashamed of herself for not recognizing him. She continued again, "I….I am really lucky that I met the man of whom I dream about every day. You know my father always advised me to follow your works and I learned many things from you." She stuttered, her cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"Oh! Glad to know I have a fan. But I can give you something for which you will remember me throughout your life." He gave her a devilish smirk. Her face colored more as she caught the meaning of his words.

"I….I…mean that…." she stuttered again.

"Don't worry my dear, I won't keep you for long, maybe for two hours." He told her.

"OK." She gave him a shy smile.

"You won't regret this. Maybe if I find you satisfying enough, I will take you as my personal assistant." She smiled at him hearing his offer and said, "Thank you Mr. Simpson. I….. I will be glad to work with you."

"Let's not waste any time. My apartment is nearby."

After few moments they both stood outside his apartment while his guards were checking her for any kind of weapon. When they were satisfied that she wasn't carrying any kind of weapon they let her enter the apartment.

"So what is your name?" Mr. Simpson asked her.

"Ana." She answered.

"Will you like some wine before satisfying me?" he gave her a lustful smirk.

"I would like some wine." She said shyly. After that they had some small talks regarding his accomplishments in business while drinking wine. Suddenly Mr. Simpson felt dizzy, his vision began to cloud.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself while grabbing his head with both his hands. Soon he found that he no can move no longer, his whole body has become paralyzed. He looked at Ana and saw that she was smirking at him. Slowly realization dawned on him.

"What did you put in my drinks, you bitch?" he questioned. His vision becoming dark with every passing second. She slowly put her wine glass down on the table. Then she walked towards him and stopped just in front of him. He looked at her face. He saw the smile on her face was long gone replaced by cold hatred and anger. Then he saw that her body started to glow with dark energy. His eyes became wide with fear. He wanted to call his guards but realized that he couldn't even speak anymore. _Is she going to kill me?_ He thought with fear in his mind. Then she socked him in the face, hard and he immediately saw blackness.

" _Cerberus_ says, hello. Bastard!" Ana spat at him with disgust. After that she left him in his bedroom. The toxin which she gave him in his drinks will render his unconscious for at least eight hours but the toxin has no side effects apart from making his body unmovable and making him unconscious. She hacked his omni – tool easily and got the code for his vault where he kept his valuable items. She had one more work left, getting rid of his bodyguard. She knew that by this time her fellow men already taken care of other guards in the apartment. She took the pistol from her prisoners' body and went towards the door. Then she shouted for help and stood with her back against the wall just beside the door, so that the krogan couldn't see her. Her plan worked effectively. The krogan came rushing inside and tried to locate the source of trouble. She raised her pistol to the back of his head and shot him right in his head. The krogan immediately fell to the floor dead. To make sure that he was dead he emptied the entire clip in his body. She ordered her men in her hidden comm to collect the prisoner. They immediately came inside the room with a tall man with strong body and an assault rifle in his hand. The others who entered immediately get to work. Ana took off her blonde wig from her head causing her shoulder length raven hair to fall down lose.

"Everything okay, _Miranda_?" the tall man asked Ana.

"I am fine Jacob." Miranda gave Jacob a curt reply.

"Did he…" he couldn't finish his sentence because Miranda answered him before he could finish.

"No. How could you think I will let him touch me? You should have known better Jacob."

"I know Miranda, but I really don't like this."

"Stop it Jacob. I am not a damsel in distress who couldn't look after herself." She snapped.

"I have no doubt in your skills Miranda but you know….. I can't help but worry…" again he was stopped in mid – sentence by her.

"Jacob I told you many times that I am not interested. I don't have time for relationships and besides I don't have any kind of romantic feelings for you." Now she raised her voice slightly.

"But how could you know? You never gave us a chance. Miranda, I genuinely care about you." Jacob almost pleaded to her.

"I don't want to talk about this topic anymore. I am heading to my apartment, will see you at the base later." She replied coldly and quickly left the apartment before Jacob could say anything.

Miranda after entering her apartment in Illium felt pretty tired. She realized it must because of the lack of rest she got for the past few days and lack of sleep because of that dream. It was still fresh in her mind haunting her every time she closes her eyes. She shivered thinking about what she saw in the dream.

 _She saw him, her John, exactly as she remembered him from her teen age. He was with her in a strange place and she, herself was standing on short, round platform. Soon she found herself sliding down along the platform as it suddenly gave away. At that moment she knew that her life is about to end. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her with utter horror in his face. She watched the vast blackness down the platform in which she was about to fall and her eyes widened with fear. Then she saw him sliding towards her with his arms outstretched towards her trying to grab her hand. She didn't know how, but somehow he caught her as she was suspended in mid - air and was about to fall into the darkness of the void. They both grabbed the edge of the platform and tried to get up on the platform. Somehow she pulled herself up with his help as he pushed her from behind with his hand, so that she could lift herself up. Suddenly, she saw with panicking eyes as a rubble from the ceiling fell on him, taking him down with it in to the dark void. He looked at her straight in her eyes while falling, blue eyes met blue eyes and he uttered, "I will find you Miri, wait for me." She shouted in horror as she saw him disappearing into the void, "NOOOOOOOOOO! JOOOOOHHHHHNNNNN!" Then she woke up in her bed sweating and breathing heavily with tears running down her face. She hid her face in her pillows and sobbed loudly and murmured, "Please, be alive John. I am living every day of my life with the belief that you are alive and you will find me one day. Don't be dead, John. I can't survive with you being dead. I always believed in you and I still do, so find me quickly, I can't stay without you anymore, please come back to me."_

Miranda was shivering every time she thought about the scene in her dream in which she saw him falling into the darkness. She quickly realized that she was crying again while thinking about him. She rubbed her tears away from her face and decide to freshen up by taking a bath and getting some much needed sleep.

After few minutes she got herself refreshed and went to bed after eating some light food. She was thinking about her mission with her eyes closed while lying in her bed. Her objective was to track down the target and get the job done by seducing him which was the easiest method. This mission was a simple to her which she have done many times. But she feels disgusted with herself every time she does her job of seducing men. But she never let any men touch her ever in the past nor would she let them ever, except _him._ She can't think of being intimate with any man except that one man she loved, with all her heart. She knew that if she wanted she could have any man in her bed begging her to seduce them because she was beautiful, perfect physical beauty and everything else which screams for male attention. She never wanted men stare at her body like animals. She just wanted only one person's attention and she got it, she got more than she ever imagined. She remembered the way he looked at her always with respect, admiration and most of all with his eyes full of love, that he reserved only for her alone which was completely different from other men who just wanted to get their desires fulfilled. She still don't know how he could love her so much after she told him what she was. She expected him to see her with disgust or hatred in his eyes but those expression never appeared in his face. His eyes still showed her that it doesn't matter to him. He told her that he will always love her and nothing would ever change that and his love for her will never lessen but it will grow steadily, and it really happened. She also loved him equally if not more. At that time she knew that her heart is permanently taken by him and no one else will ever be in her heart except him. She remembered first time when Operative Jacob Taylor first expressed his desire to be with her. She felt bad now because of the way she put him down immediately with her harsh words. It wasn't that Jacob was a cruel or a vile man, he is indeed a good man. She also liked him but not romantically. They became friends quickly from working partners from doing many works and missions together. She turned him down because she knew she will never be able to love him because her heart was stolen long ago by that 15 year old boy. But she also remembered her heart breaking as he sacrificed himself to save her from the slavers. He distracted them so she could hide. He never thought of what would happen to him after he gets caught, his only priority was to save her and he indeed saved her but at the cost of his own life. That memory still brought tears to her eyes every time she thought about it. She got caught by her father's men after he was gone. She was tortured by her father Henry Lawson for over a year continuously. But during that time she trained herself with her biotic abilities, hand to hand fight, became expert in many medical and technological studies and got herself prepared to fight against her father one day. She shifted her thoughts to the first time she met Illusive Man in person. He assigned her with a job which was of most utmost important to the organization of Cerberus. The Illusive Man put his faith in her and she decided that she will try her best to keep his trust and as the years went by she became one of his most trusted operatives.

She turned her thoughts once more to John. After all these years she really don't know where he is now. _Does he miss me like the way I miss him?_ She thought. All those years ago when he was taken away by the slavers she became heartbroken and miserable. She wanted to die because she had no purpose to live anymore and she had no one in the world who cares about her. The only person who cared for her was taken away from her cruelly, and she could do nothing. Then suddenly, one day she again found the purpose to live once more when she heard that everyone who was imprisoned by the slavers from the Mindoir colony is rescued by an Alliance ship. From that moment she desperately wanted to see him once again and be in his arms which made her feel special, loved and safe. But she couldn't get out of her father's grasp. She cried almost every day for him, wanting to see him again with her own eyes. But it never happened. After two years when she was seventeen she was ready to escape from her father once again and this time it wasn't just only for her. She recently discovered that she has a sister. She decided to give her sister a normal life which she never had, _not entirely correct_ she thought. _She had a normal and a very happy life when she was with him._ She kidnapped her newly born sister and escaped from her father's grasp with the help of a friend Niket. He really was her friend, probably her only friend whom she trusted more than anyone, except _him_. Then one day when she was wondering alone with her sister not knowing what to do, two people approached her and said that they will make sure that her sister will have a good family to grow up and in exchange they need her service. They appreciated her talent in many fields. She accepted their offer and went away with them. After that she desperately tried to find him through her various contacts which she gained over the years working for Cerberus but she never found any trace of him. Now after all these years she realized that the heartache she always feels whenever she thought about him will go away with time passed but her feelings for him only grew stronger instead of lessening, so did her heartache. She don't know how much longer she could carry on without him. It was pathetic. She was a grown woman, a tough operative under whose icy glares men wets their pants. She even managed to earn the title of _Ice Queen_ throughout all these years working for Cerberus. But when it came to him she acts like a love-sick teenager. She couldn't help it though. She shifted her thoughts on how the two of them became best friends only within a year and after two years from then they both realized that they were in love with each other, hopelessly and forever in love. She smiled at the memory when she first kissed him on his lips and his reaction to that.

 **19 YEARS AGO, MINDOIR COLONY IN THE ATTICAN TRAVERSE**

 _John entered his apartment with Miranda supporting him. She let him sit on his bed leaning against his pillow._

" _Where's the first aid kit?" Miranda asked him._

" _There….. Inside the cabinet." John answered. She got the kit and was about to clean his wounds and dried blood on his face and arms when he stopped her. She looked confused._

" _What?" she asked him._

" _I will treat my wounds, don't worry. You get yourself some food from the kitchen." He said._

" _No. First I will take care of your wounds, then we will eat together." She said the words with such determination in her eyes and face that he couldn't find any words to argue with her._

 _After thirty minutes or so, they were eating and having small talks that's when Miranda asked him, "So you are also a biotic?"_

" _Me? Biotic? No. Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked her._

" _What do you mean by 'no'? Your biotic powers were incredibly powerful. I neither heard nor ever saw a powerful biotic like you." She said in amazement._

" _I really don't know what you are talking about Miri, I really am not a biotic." He said now totally confused._

" _John you saved me from those boys with your biotics."_

" _What? Are you serious? But I don't even remember it. I thought that you saved me." Miranda looked at him and saw that he was indeed telling her the truth. It was clear from the expression of his face that he is totally confused._

" _But how couldn't you remember? This is really strange."_

" _I don't know what happened back there and it doesn't matter whether I used biotic abilities or not, the only thing that matters is that you are safe." He smiled at her lightly._

" _Thank you, for what you did. No one ever did anything like that for me." She smiled and kissed both his cheeks. Miranda lowered her face to eat her food so she didn't saw him blushing madly after she kissed him._

" _So what is your story? I mean why were you there alone in the dark corner of the street? Don't you have a family? You can answer if you feel that you can trust me."_

" _Of course I trust you. But first I want to know about you."_

" _Ok. So, what do you want to know?" he asked her. She looked at him with curiosity in her eyes._

" _What is your full name?" she asked._

" _John. You know it." He said with a chuckle._

" _I mean, what is your surname?"_

" _I don't have one."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _I grew up in an orphanage Miranda and I never knew who my parents were."_

" _I…. I am sorry."_

" _You don't have anything to be sorry about Miri. Before I met you I was all alone in this world, now I gained a friend." He smiled slightly._

" _I also never had a family." She whispered._

" _Are you an orphan like me?"_

" _No….. I have a father. But he was never a father to me. I…. I escaped from him. I travelled from Earth in a shuttle. I stayed hidden inside until it reached here. And then you found me."_

" _Why did you escape?"_

" _I will tell you everything John, but….not now. Just know that he is not a good person."_

" _I knew it. Otherwise no one would have left their own father."_

" _Yeah."_

 _They finished their food quietly after the conversation. Then Miranda turned to him and said in a soft tone, "Thank you again. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't found me. I would probably be dead by now. But I don't want to intrude into your life anymore. Now, I must leave."_

" _Wait. Where will you go?" he asked her._

" _I really don't know. But…" she stopped speaking as he put his finger on her lips._

" _Stay with me."_

" _That's not possible John. I need to find a new home. How longer can you let me stay with you?"_

" _Forever." He replied without hesitation._

" _Did you mean that?"_

" _Yes. Absolutely. You can stay here as long as you want." He smiled at her. After hearing his words Miranda threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. John was taken aback by her sudden joy. Then she kissed his cheeks again causing him to turn crimson red, again._

" _Thank you, John. I… I…." she couldn't say anything. She buried her face in his chest and cried while embracing him tightly. John didn't know what to do at that moment, so he patted her back awkwardly._

Now in present time Miranda Lawson lay on her bed in her apartment in Illium, sleeping. She turned to her right side in her sleep with a soft smile on her lips. She mumbled in her sleep, "Love you John."

 _ **Chapter Notes: Miranda and Shepard in their childhood are both matured than their age permitted.**_

 _ **Author Notes: I like to say here that I appreciate the help last time I got from the review about the geth. I will rectify it soon. I am saying again, please review after you read this.**_


	4. The Council

"Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think he is waking up." John heard the female somewhere close to him. He opened his eyes slowly to find himself in the Normandy's med-bay. He suddenly remembered the vision from the beacon and watching her die before he lost consciousness. He unsteadily sat up on the bed, still feeling a little dizzy. He rubbed his face with his palm and looked up to see that Dr. Chakwas was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. Then he noticed another figure standing beside the Doctor – Ashley Williams was standing there, her gaze on him, with worry in her eyes.

"You had us worried there, Commander. How are you feeling?" Dr. Chakwas asked softly.

"Minor throbbing. Nothing serious. How long was I out, Doctor?" John asked her.

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon I think?" Chakwas enquired.

"It is my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to pull me out of there." Ashley said with shame in her voice, her eyes towards the floor, not looking at John.

"You had no way to know what would happen." John tried to lessen her guilt.

"Actually we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we will get the chance to find out." Chakwas said.

Looking at Shepard's confused expression, Ashley explained, "The beacon exploded. A system overload maybe. The blast knocked you out cold. The Lieutenant and me, carried you here back to the ship."

"I appreciate that." John thanked her. She let out a small shy smile.

"Physically, you're fine. But I have detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves." Dr. Chakwas informed looking at the datapad in her hands. She continued, "I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

"I saw…. I'm not sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothing's really clear and…." He stopped realizing that Ashley is still here in the med-bay listening to him. Sensing his distress, Dr. Chakwas requested Ashley, "If you don't mind Chief, I would like to talk with my patient and have another check-up privately."

"Sure. I will be in the mess hall if you need me." Ashley left with a last look at John, who was looking at the floor lost in his thoughts. Chakwas observed John for few moments carefully and at last put her hand on his shoulder which brought him back from his thoughts.

"Anything else you want to talk about, Commander?" Chakwas asked knowingly.

"I saw her again Doc. It was exactly what I saw in my dream but this time I saw her after interacting with the beacon. This…. This can't be a co-incidence. This must have meant something." John said, his face showing the fear he was feeling inside his heart.

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's a warning or something like that."

"But how is that possible. This is no science, this seems to be like a fantasy."

"I don't know Doctor… I just don't know. Don't know how much longer I can keep up if this dream don't stop. It haunts me all the time."

"Commander, I know it is difficult. But you should stop worrying about this dream. Maybe the vision about her, you are telling me, may be nothing. It can happen because of stress, fatigue and you constantly think about her. This… This is not healthy."

"It's not that I am thinking about her 24X7, but it's true that she is always in my mind. Maybe, you are right, Doctor. I will try follow to your advice."

Dr. Karin Chakwas have never seen a man like John Shepard before in her life. He was unlike any other man. His honesty, bravery, skills, caring for his team-mates – all these qualities are known to all. But she only have the privilege to know how good his heart is, how much pain he feels and how he always remains in fear that, he will lose the only the woman he ever loved with every fiber of his being. She knows nothing about the woman whom he cares about, more than anything else in his life or whether that woman still loves back or not but observing him and realizing the depth of his feelings for that unknown woman always makes her astonished. From what he explained to her, they known each other for 4-5 years and after that they never met again. But he still longs for her as is she is his sanity, his world or his every soul. She wondered how he can care about her that much after all these years. It's natural that, being separated for so many years the connection between two people slowly cease to exist, no matter how strong the connection between them was. But in his case the opposite happened. This fact always confuses her because this isn't normal. She realized the man sitting in front of her is slowly losing his will to live on. For his sake he must find her quickly and if that breaks his heart, he will be destroyed for sure. Dr. Chakwas thought that her assumptions may sound pathetic but it's true. She looked at him, sitting on the bed looking at the floor, his eyes unfocused and deep in his thoughts. She decided to pull him out of his brooding and she knew exactly how to do that. John Shepard is a hero, fearless man and one of the best soldier of Alliance. He never gets nervous or loses his hope in combat. He completes his missions with determinations and purpose. But one thing always makes him nervous and she knew why. A woman's affection towards him always makes him nervous because if that happens he thinks that he is somehow betraying the woman he loves. This sounded ridiculous but that is John Shepard.

"It seems Chief Williams fancy you Commander." She said a little loudly.

"What?" He looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. She chuckled at the bewildered expression on his face. He frowned realizing that the Doctor was just teasing him.

"Hmmm. I better add this to my report." She murmured to herself. "And Commander….. Oh! Captain Anderson." Anderson entered the med-bay with his hands behind his back and his gaze on John.

"How's our XO doing, Doctor?" Anderson asked.

"All the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander is going to be fine." Dr. Chakwas informed.

"Good to hear it." Then Anderson looked at John and said, "Shepard, I need to speak with you… in private."

"I will come back later." Dr. Chakwas said and walked out from the med-bay giving the Captain and the Commander some privacy. Anderson turned towards John after the med-bay door closed behind the Doctor. "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're okay?" Anderson asked.

"I am alright. But I don't like soldiers dying under my command." John said bitterly.

"Jenkin's wasn't your fault. You did a great job Shepard." Anderson said.

"So, Chief Williams part of the Normandy crew now?" John asked changing the subject. He was still pretty much upset about Jenkin's death.

"I figured we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to the Normandy."

"Williams is a good soldier. She deserves it."

"Lieutenant Alenko agrees with you. That's why I added her to our crew."

"Ah… you said you needed to talk me with private, Captain?" John asked wondering what happened now.

"I won't lie to you Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon is destroyed and the Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

"I didn't do anything wrong Captain. Hopefully, the Council can see that."

"I'll stand behind you and your report Shepard. You're a damn hero in my books. That's not why I am here. It's Saren, the other turian." Anderson said with slight worry in his voice. He continued, "Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre is trouble. Saren is dangerous and he hate humans."

"You are telling that he only came to Eden Prime because he hate humans?"

"Not entirely. Saren has allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how. I don't know why. But it had something to do with the beacon. You were there just before it self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision."

"A vision? A vision of what?"

"I saw synthetics. Geth, maybe. Slaughtering people. Butchering them. And there were many mother ships like the one we saw in Eden Prime."

"We need to report this to the Council, Shepard." Anderson said. John rubbed his face in frustration because he knew the Council won't believe them since he has nothing to show them, the vision he saw.

"What are we going to tell them? I had a bad dream?" John sighed.

"We don't know what information was stored in the beacon. Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it. But I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. The attack was an act of war. He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of Geth at his command and he won't stop until he wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy." Anderson explained.

"I will find some way to take him down." John said with his jaws clenched in anger. It's only because of Saren hundreds of lives were lost on Eden Prime.

"It's not that easy. He is a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

"We prove Saren's gone rogue and the Council will revoke his Spectre status."

"I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He will want us to see as soon as we reach the Citadel. We should be getting close. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us to the dock." Andersin ordered and left the med-bay. John followed him out after few seconds. On his way to the bridge he met Ashley, who was standing with her back leaning against the wall and arms crossed over her chest. She greeted him warmly when she saw him leaving the med-bay.

"I am glad you are okay, Commander. The crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins." She said.

"Jenkins was a valuable part of the crew and a friend." John told her.

"Part of me feels guilty over what happened. If Jenkins was still alive, I might not be here." She said with her head bowed.

"You're a good soldier Williams. You belong on the Normandy." John praised her. Ashley's cheeks turned red with his praise. She hoped he didn't notice. She was thankful that the red light in the mess hall is falling on her face, hiding her blush from the Commander. She quickly composed herself and replied to him, "Thanks Commander. That means a lot from you. I have never met anyone who was awarded the Star of Terra."

"There's nothing special about me Williams. I am just a soldier like others."

"Held off an entire enemy platoon? Alone? With all due respect Commander, I think you've got somebody watching over you." She said with a smile. John couldn't have agreed more with anything else. Yes, he has an angel somewhere out there, watching over him. She is his strength, spirit, his life, his will to go on and everything else. He quickly switched the subject because he didn't want to think about her although she hardly leave his mind.

"Things were pretty rough down there. Are you okay?" John asked Ashley.

"I've seen friends die before. Comes with being a marine. But to see my whole unit wiped out... And you never get used seeing dead civilians. But things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up."

"We couldn't have done it without you Williams." John said honestly.

"Thanks Commander. I have to admit, I was a little worried being assigned to the Normandy. It's nice when someone makes you feel welcome." She said and realized she was blushing again.

"I think you are going to fit in here just fine, Williams." Shepard said and headed towards the cockpit to talk with Joker.

 _ **ILLIUM ETERNITY BAR**_

A girl no older than seventeen was seated in a table with a bald man in front of her. She was looking anxiously looking towards the entrance waiting for someone. The man was tapping the table in front of him absent mindedly with his fingers. After waiting fifteen more minutes like that, the girl got irritates. Frustration was evident on her face. She looked towards the man in front of her and asked irritably,

"Have you told her that I want to meet her, here, now?"

"Yeah. I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"Then why is she so late? She is never late and by so much time. She always came before me whenever we met."

"I dunno! Maybe..." The man stopped noticing a woman entering the bar. She looked around a bit searching and when her eyes fell on them, her eyes lit up. At that time, the girl also noticed the woman. A huge smile appeared on the girl's face. She immediately stood up from her chair and embraced the woman tightly when she approached their table. The girl murmured still embracing the woman, "Randa..."

The woman also murmured embracing the girl tightly, "Ori..."

"Randa, I am glad to see you sis! How are you?" Oriana asked her elder sister.

"I am okay Ori. Why did you want to meet me? Is everything alright? Did father..." Miranda was stopped in mid-sentence by her sister.

"Relax Randa. Everything is fine. Can't I meet my sister without any reason?" Oriana asked with a frown.

"Of course you can. I just... I love you Ori. You are the only family I have. I can't lose you too."

Sensing the change in her sister's mood she tried to assure her elder sister that she will not lose her. She will always have her. _But what did Randa meant by that she can't lose her too? Who did she referred, other than her? Did she had another sister, whom she didn't know about or their mother about whom she knew nothing?_ Oriana thought. In the meantime Miranda composed herself and greeted her old friend Niket.

"Niket. Is everything alright with you?" Miranda asked her old friend with a small smile.

"Yes. I hope you are doing well too, Miri." Niket said. He continued, "Unfortunately, I have some other business to attend to. If you don't mind then..."

"Don't worry Niket. I will take Ori to her home." Miranda said. Then Niket was gone after saying Oriana goodbye.

"So Ori, how is your school going?" Miranda asked.

"Ah. It is going pretty well actually and sis there is a man watching you since you arrived. He is sitting just behind you."

"I noticed. Don't worry about him. But you know I am getting suspicious regarding your answer." Miranda said looking at her sister carefully.

Oriana frowned. "What do you mean?"

Miranda asked softly, "Are you dating someone?"

Oriana blushed deeply. "No... Um. Not really. But I like him. His name is Adrian Gibson."

"Ori, I won't lecture you to stay away from the boys in your school. But whatever you do be careful." She stopped and said again, "But I will have to investigate about this boy first. Then if I find out that everything is okay, I may give you my permission." Miranda smirked. Oriana's eyes widened in disbelief. "You wouldn't dare." She said.

"Watch me." Miranda said simply and Oriana hid her face in her hands frustrated with her sister's overprotectiveness. After few seconds she calmed down when Miranda send her a file of a collection of Oriana's favorite music through her omni-tool. Oriana smiled happily at her sister and exclaimed, "How did you get this collection, Randa?"

"I have my ways." Miranda smiled at her sister.

"But this does not make up for what you did, Randa. Since I told you about my love life, you have to tell me about yours. You always avoided the topic whenever I asked you about it before. But this time I am not letting you get away. You have to tell me, now." Oriana demanded answer from her older sister. Miranda didn't say anything, only a single tear dropped from her eye. Oriana became immediately concerned at her sister's change of mood. She stood up from her chair and brought it beside her sister and sat down holding Miranda's hands in hers. "What's wrong Randa? Did I hurt you? If I did I am sorry."

"No Ori. You didn't hurt me. It's just that..." Miranda tried to say but her heart was breaking again after thinking about him.

"Randa from your behavior I can say that something is seriously wrong with you. I saw in all these years how many men lusted after you and some of them even genuinely cared about you. But you never reciprocated their feelings. Why Randa? Don't you believe in love?"

"I do." Miranda replied softly.

"Then? Why didn't you get in any relationships in all these time? And a few minutes earlier you said that you can't lose me too. What do you mean by that sis?"

"Ori, I have never talked about this with anyone else ever. I don't know what you will think but..."

"Tell me Randa." Oriana said after putting a hand on Miranda's shoulder showing her support.

"Let's get to my apartment. I will tell you everything there." Miranda said.

 _ **CITADEL AMBASSADOR UDINA'S OFFICE**_

"This is an outrage! The council would step in if the Geth attacked a turian colony!" Udina said angrily.

"The turians don't found colonies on the border of the Terminus system, Ambassador." Said the Salarian councilor.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." The Asari councilor added.

"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!" Said Udina raising his voice a little.

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador." The turian councilor replied coolly.

"Citadel security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before." The Asari councilor added.

Udina was about to argue but stopped at the sound of the door opening behind him and saw Anderson entering his office with his crew.

"Captain Anderson, I see you have brought half your crew with you." Said Udina.

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you have any questions." Anderson replied calmly.

"I have the mission reports. I assume they are accurate?"

"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience." Anderson praised Udina knowingly.

"They were not happy about it. Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason." Udina said with a frown on his face.

"Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. If they don't stop him, I will!" John said with purpose.

"Settle down Commander. You have already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!" Udina said with a bit of anger in his voice.

"That's Saren's fault, not his!" Anderson defended John. Udina looked at Ashley and Kaidan for confirmation. They nodded their head indicating what Anderson said is true. Udina calmed down a bit.

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres. Come with me captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard – you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in." Udina informed them and left with Anderson.

"That's why I hate politicians." Ashley murmured.

 _ **CITADEL TOWER**_

"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them." A blue armored turian said to Executor Pallin.

"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over Garrus." The Executor declared and left.

Garrus saw John and his team approaching. He approached them. "Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren." Garrus said.

"You came across anything I should know about?" John asked the turian.

"Saren's a Spectre. Most of his activities are classified. I couldn't find anything solid. But I know he's up to something. Like you humans say, I feel it in my gut." Garrus said.

"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander." Kaidan interrupted.

"Good luck, Commander. Maybe they will listen to you." Garrus said and left. John watched Garrus go. He sighed. This is more complicated than he thought. He watched Anderson was waiting for them at the stairs. They moved forward towards Anderson.

"The hearing's already started. Come on." Anderson said. When they approached the Council John saw Saren was also there in a hologram.

"The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way." The Asari councilor said.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason." The turian councilor added.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina argued.

"We have read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof." The Salarian councilor said.

"I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend." Saren denied the accusations on him through the hologram.

"That just let you catch him off-guard!" Anderson said.

"Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." Saren countered. He continued, "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"You are the one who destroyed the beacon and then you tried to cover it up." John said angrily.

"Shift the blame to cover your own failures, just like Captain Anderson. He's taught you well. But what can you expect from a human?" Saren said evilly.

"Saren despises humanity. That's why he attacked the Eden Prime!" John said desperately hoping the Council could see through Saren's lies.

"Your species need to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Saren said sarcastically.

"He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" Udina said outraged.

"Shepard's admission into Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." Said the Asari Councilor.

"This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor and mine." Saren said.

"You can't hide behind the Council forever!" John said with an angry voice.

"There is still one outstanding issue: Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon." Anderson added.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren argued.

"I agree. Our judgement must be based on the facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation." The turian councilor declared. Anderson frowned and looked towards John. John gave him a look which said, _I told you so._

"You have made your decision. I won't waste my breath." John said defeated.

"The council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied." The Asari councilor made the decision.

"I am glad to see justice was served." Saren said and his hologram picture disappeared after he directed an evil smirk towards John which gone unnoticed by the Council.

"The meeting is adjourned." Said the Asari councilor ending the hearing.

"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives." Udina said.

"I know Saren. He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe." Anderson said.

"What happened between you and Saren?" John asked curios.

"I worked with him in a mission a long time ago. Things went bad. Real bad. We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like. And he has to be stopped." Anderson answered with worry in his tone.

"So, what will be our next step?" John asked.

"As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him." Udina said tapping his chin and trying to think of some way to expose Saren to the Council.

"What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor." Kaidan stepped in.

"That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren." Ashley added.

"Any idea where can we find Garrus?" John asked.

"I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin." Udina said.

"Forget it. They suspended Harkin last month. Drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser." Anderson intervened.

"You won't have to. I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this." Udina advised.

"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation." John protested immediately.

"Wait Shepard. The ambassador's right. I need to step aside." Anderson stopped John from arguing further.

"I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later." Udina left.

Anderson turned towards John and said, "Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards."

"I thought you said he was a drunken loser." John said, surprised.

"Couldn't hurt to go and talk with him. Just be careful. I wouldn't call him reliable." Anderson explained and John nodded in understanding.

"So, can you explain now, what happened in that mission with Saren?" John asked.

"Yes. I guess you must know about Saren as much as you can know about. He's dangerous." Then Anderson explained twenty years ago in the mission in the Skyllian Verge he worked with Saren to remove a terrorist threat. Saren eliminated the target but he was reckless, violent and liked killing, which resulted the death of many innocent lives. John just listened carefully about Saren but didn't say anything. From what he heard if they didn't take any step soon many more innocent lives will be lost. So he didn't waste any time.

"I should go now and look for Harkin. We need to know what Garrus found out about Saren. We need him." John said.

"Very well. I wish you luck Commander. If you need me for anything, I will be at the Ambassador's office." Anderson shook hands with John and left. John turned to his team and said, "Let's find our friend."

"Aye, Aye, Commader." Kaidan and Ashley said in unison.

 _ **A/N: Sorry for being late to update this story. As I said before I will continue this tory after I finished the Witcher story. But somehow I managed to write this chapter. The Witcher story still has one more chapter left which I am currently working on and it will take a little bit of time to complete the last chapter. After I complete it I will concentrate on this story more. And please don't forget to review.**_ __


	5. Innocent times

"So, 'Randa tell me now, what you promised. Your childhood is a mystery to me." Oriana complained.

"Yeah…. Actually no one know about that part of my life…. not even Niket." Miranda whispered.

"'Randa did you two… I mean you and Niket…" Oriana asked hesitantly.

"No. I have never even considered that. He is just my friend whom I can trust." Miranda answered.

"Then who was it… I mean every time I asked you about your mystery lover, you never answered me." Oriana asked.

"He wasn't my lover. We were not intimate because we were too young. We just loved each other with everything we had." Miranda said and lowered her head.

"What was his name? How was he? I mean was he good to you?" Oriana questioned.

"His name was John…. just John and he was the best thing that ever happened to me. But good things never Ori, at least in case of me."

"How did you two met?"

Miranda then explained to her sister how she first met John and immediately a great bond of trust and friendship formed between them when she agreed to stay with him.

"So you stayed with him and he never questioned you about your identity? I mean apart from your name."

"No, he didn't. He said that he trusted me enough to believe that I will tell him once I was ready."

"Wow! Can someone be really that good and trusting?" Oriana said with surprise.

"I didn't believed that either, until I met him." There was a sad smile on Miranda's face when she talked about trust.

"But what about his biotics? You said that he kind of transformed into something else."

"No… not really transformed. He was still the same but…. I cannot explain it to you Ori because I don't know how to describe it. I studied everything I could find, but there's nothing about that kind of biotic power. His powers were incredible…."

"So, you fell in love with him at first sight?" Oriana teased.

Miranda's cheeks turned pinkish at her sister's teasing as old memories came rushing inside her mind. "I was too young to realize that. But when I grew old I realized that it was true. I really fell in love with him at first sight even I was too young to realize my feelings." She said embarrassed.

"Was he handsome?" Oriana smirked.

"More than you can imagine." Miranda smiled shyly, her cheeks were now fully red from embarrassment.

Oriana chuckled watching her sister blushing. "Stop it Ori. Or…. or I am leaving." Miranda said.

"Okay, okay… I won't laugh again. Please continue sis."

"Hmph!" Miranda said with a little annoyance.

/

 **MINDOIR COLONY**

 _Miranda lay on her bed, her gaze towards the ceiling of the room, where she and John lived. Many thoughts were clouding her mind, so she was getting less sleep for the last two weeks. When noticed this a few days ago, he asked her what was troubling her, but instead of answering she snapped at him and at that moment she saw hurt flickered over his face but he composed himself so she couldn't notice it. Little did he know that he couldn't hide anything from her, ever. She hated herself for hurting him, hurting the only person who cared for her and given her everything he possessed without hesitating for a moment. She couldn't help it though. For the last few days she was fighting with her own heart and she was too emotional because during nights her dreams are being haunted by her father, Henry Lawson, who was never kind to her, never spoke to her politely and never looked at her as his daughter. Hell, he didn't even acknowledged that she was a human being. He just treated her as a lab rat and always beat her up when she failed to do the tasks she was asked to do. Often during the nights she cried alone in her bed unable to sleep because of the bruises she used to get from her father. Also her home was a prison for her, no it wasn't her home. It was her father's home. Her home is here, with John. When she realized that Henry Lawson could never be a father to her because that man is simply a monster. Now, she is almost fearful that he will find her again and after that god knows, what he will do to her and to her John. She is troubled because of her father's thoughts and there is also another reason….. John._

 _He was the first person to ever show kindness to her, treated her as a normal human being and he is the only one who cared for her, truly and deeply. She knew that he looked towards her as his best friend and she did the same but not anymore. The problem was she is falling in love with him, deeply and hopelessly. She realized her true feelings for him two weeks ago and from that time she was restless. That handsome, innocent face, those clear blue eyes which can see through her anytime, his silly jokes to lighten her mood whenever she was depressed over something and most of all his trust and goodness._

 _When they first met, he asked her whether she trusted him or not and she answered yes. She meant that whole-heartedly. Trust was never the factor behind her hesitation to tell him about who….. no what she is for four years. The real reason was that she was frightened that once he learned the truth about her, he won't look towards her anymore and end their friendship, forever. She won't be able to take that, not now, not ever. She loved him far too much and she is already so much dependent on him that it frightened her what she will do if she'd lose him. He gave her the space she needed and she was beyond grateful for that. But this cannot go on forever, he must know about her, what she truly is and after that if he didn't want her to stay here anymore, she will leave him, even if it destroys her because it will be better to stay away from him than he watching her with disgust in his eyes. This may sound ridiculous that a fifteen year old girl is thinking about love, not just any kind of attraction or affection but Miranda is much more advanced for her age. But first things first, she have to tell him now._

" _John….." she murmured._

 _He looked up hearing his name from her lips and left whatever he was doing and came to her side at once. He stayed at the edge of the bed looking at her with questioning eyes when she didn't say anything. He looked at her misted eyes and took her small hands in his own. "What's wrong Miri?" He asked kindly looking directly at her eyes. For few moments Miranda couldn't answer him while looking at his eyes. When he let her hands go and cupped her face with his hands she finally broke from her trance. He spoke again, "Miri, tell me what you are feeling. You know, you can tell me anything. I cannot see you like this… it…it pains me to see you like this." Her eyes watered hearing how much he really cared about her and she just caused him pain._

" _I am sorry, John." She said in a broken voice._

" _You are sorry? But why?" He asked, confused._

" _For snapping at you…. For not telling you about myself for all these years." She apologized._

" _Miri, you were not in your right mind. I sensed that and you don't have to tell me anything until you are ready." He gave her a reassuring smile. But what she said next, totally surprised him._

" _I am ready now. Will you listen?" She asked softly._

" _Always." He said instantly._

 _So, Miranda started telling him about herself, how she was created by her father, how her father mistreated her. He was listening to her intently without uttering a single word but when she mentioned how her father tortured her, his face hardened and all the calmness from his face was gone in an instant. He closed his eyes and grabbed the chair so tightly in his hands that his knuckles turned white. Miranda yelped in surprise when the chair broke from his strength. Her eyes widened when he opened his eyes. She saw that his eyes were not normal anymore, it was blue and glowing inhumanly. He was shaking in fury. Strangely his anger didn't create any fear within her because she knew that whatever happens he will never hurt her, never. She cupped his face and said, "John, look at me. I am here with you and I am okay." She tried to calm him down. He looked towards her intently for few seconds and closed his eyes. His eyes were normal when he opened them again._

" _I am sorry John….. I am so sorry." She sobbed. "I didn't tell you this before for only one reason – I cannot lose you. But I couldn't keep this secret from you anymore. So, if you want me to leave, I will….." Miranda stopped when John engulfed her in a tight embrace and buried his face in her hair. "Don't… don't say that Miri. There is no John without Miri."_

" _I won't say it again, John. I won't." She said._

" _I understand why you didn't tell me about yourself earlier. And believe me, I somehow knew that something terrible happened to you which made you leave your home." He said still clutching her tightly to him._

 _Miranda felt safe and loved in his embrace. She hid her face at the crook of his neck and started sobbing loudly as all of her past memories came crashing back inside her mind. He let her cry and held her tightly in his arms. After few moments Miranda spoke, "How you are not watching me with disgust after hearing what I am? I am nothing…. I am just… There's nothing good about me. My looks, my intelligence all was engineered from the best genes money could buy."_

" _How can I ever look at you with disgust? How can anyone? It doesn't matter to me how you were born. I don't care. And I think, you are giving your father too much credit. It's true that he paid money for your gifts but it was you who used your gifts in right way and effectively. He has no credit in that. So, now look at you. You have knowledge of almost any subjects. Did you knew this things when you were born?"_

 _She shook her head negatively._

" _No, you didn't. But you used your gifts to learn them and you did it without anyone's help. It's all your credit. Besides all when I look at you I look at the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, who took care of me, who showed kindness to me, supported me, stood up with me in every step of my life since she came."_

" _Really?" She smiled with watery eyes. "That's how you see me?"_

" _Yeah and more. The most beautiful part of you is not your physical beauty, it's your heart Miri. It's…. Just remember you are the most amazing person in this galaxy." Then he leaned towards her and kissed her cheeks._

 _Miranda was stunned because he never kissed her before even on her cheeks. Her cheeks turned red and all the dam she built around her heart to conceal her love for him broke away in a mere second. She grabbed his face and kissed him fully on his lips taking him completely by surprise. When she broke the kiss for air, she realized what she had done. She looked at him and saw that he was looking at her dumbfounded, his eyes were wide like saucers._

" _I… I am sorry." She stuttered looking away from him. What had she done, she had probably ruined the friendship they had. But her thoughts froze when she felt a finger under her chin. John turned her face around towards him. The he pressed his lips on hers, lightly at first and when she started to respond by throwing her arms around his neck, they started to kiss each other passionately._

" _John, I….." Miranda tried to say when she broke the kiss but she was cut off by John._

" _I love you." He said without any hesitation. He said what he felt for her for the past year. He finally let it out. Miranda froze hearing his declaration. Watching her expression, John regretted it immediately. Why did he say it? What will she think?_

 _At the same time, Miranda was thinking the same thing because she never imagined that he would return her feelings. But now hearing his declaration, she couldn't hold on to her feelings anymore. So, she kissed him again. She uttered the words she felt for him in her heart, "I love you too." Next thing she knew she was in his tight embrace with his face buried in her hair._

" _I cannot…. cannot express to you how happy I am Miri. I…. God! I love you! Love you!" He murmured._

 _She replied, "I love you too John. More than anything else in this galaxy." She stayed in his embrace feeling happy with her head lying in his shoulders. At that moment she promised to herself that she won't ever let him get away from her._

 _After confessing their feelings John and Miri became more inseparable than ever. Often during the nights, when any of them had nightmares they would crawl into the others bed and sleep there embracing each other. Six months passed happily without incident…. but good things didn't last for them longer….._

 **[/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\]**

 _"Mhm, mmmm! Miri..." John mumbled in his sleep as Miranda rained light kisses all over his face to wake him up. After few more kisses he finally opened his eyes to see that Miranda is watching him with amusement and a smile tugging at the corner of her lips._

 _"I loved the way you woke me up." He mumbled._

 _"Nice to hear that. But won't you go the shop today? It's past 9 A.M. already." She said._

 _"Mhm. I will, once I get my daily morning reward."_

 _"What?" She asked puzzled._

 _"Where is my morning kiss?" He pouted._

 _She laughed out loud and shook her head watching his silly smile. "You are such a baby." She said, swatting his chest. He shrugged. Realizing that he won't get up until she kisses him, she bent down quickly and kissed his cheeks. She stood up from the bed to prepare the breakfast but he caught her wrist and pulled her down on top of him. She fell down with a shriek. Then he kissed her on her lips for a full minute and she didn't protest. She returned the kiss happily._

 _"You satisfied now?" She asked breaking the kiss._

 _"No." He replied._

 _"What?" She frowned._

 _"I can never get enough of you Miri. Being around you, I always want to kiss you." He said smiling._

 _"Really. So now get up and get ready. If you be a good boy, maybe you will get one more when you return." Then she pushed him inside the bathroom to get ready._

 _She was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when she suddenly heard people screaming outside in the streets. She walked towards the door to find out what was going on. She was about to open the door when John stopped her and started to drag her away from the door._

" _John…. what are you doing? Let me see….." She said, surprised by his actions._

" _No. We need to leave. Now." He cut her off abruptly._

" _What? Why?" She was totally confused now._

" _It's the slavers. They have come to abduct people from the colony. Come on, we don't have time to waste." He urged her to hurry. Miranda quickly gathered some necessary things and they ran towards the door. They were only a few feet away from the door when it opened and four slavers came inside. John and Miranda quickly hid themselves from their eyes. They saw from their hidden spot, the slavers searching their place for signs of them. When they couldn't found anyone, one of them produced a strange device on his hand and started to type on it rapidly, watching its readings. "We have someone hiding in here, one human. Search the place thoroughly." They immediately resumed their search._

 _John and Miranda watched everything. John couldn't figure out why their machine detected only one person in the house instead of two. He turned towards Miranda and saw that she was drenched from head to toe and shivering. It seems somehow the entire bowl of water that was on the table fell on top of her somehow when they hid here. Then something clicked inside his mind and he suddenly realized why the slavers couldn't detect her presence. Their scanners are useless against water. He looked towards her frightened face and made a decision, he must save her, no matter what happens to him. He knew that one of them have to make the sacrifice, otherwise they both will get caught. He felt torn inside his heart at the thought of never seeing her again but if it means that she will be safe, he will gladly do it. He turned towards her slowly and cupped her face, "Miri…. Promise me something." He whispered._

" _Anything John…. anything." She replied softly watching him._

" _Promise me that you won't show yourself to them, no matter what." He pleaded._

" _No absolutely not. I know what you are thinking. John I… Mmph!" She was cut off by his lips on hers._

" _I love you." He whispered and then he was gone from her side._

" _No…. Don't do it. Please, no." She pleaded but he was already gone. She watched how he led the slavers away from her by exposing himself to them. He ran outside and the slavers followed him. Even her heart was screaming to follow him, she couldn't because that selfless ass made her promise to him that she will stay here hidden. After few minutes she heard gunfire outside in the streets and heard voices of humans. She left her hidden place and peeked outside. There were many soldiers dressed in blue armors escorting injured people to safety. She saw a middle aged female marine standing behind watching everything. She is probably the Captain, Miranda realized. She went running towards the woman. At the sound of her footsteps the elderly woman turned around to meet her._

" _What happened child? Are you okay?" She asked Miranda kindly._

" _They took John. They took him. Please save him. Please. I beg you." Miranda pleaded._

 _At the mention of John's name her eyes widened and Miranda saw fear in the elderly woman's eyes. "What did you say his name was?" She asked as if she couldn't believe her own ears._

" _John. Just John. Please find him. I…."_

" _When did they took him?" The elderly woman's expression is now stern._

" _A few minutes ago. I don't really know how. He told me to hide and I…"_

" _I understand child…. I know how selfless he can be. He got that trait from his father…" She murmured to herself. Miranda seems confused. She realized that this woman knew something about John's parents. She was about to speak but the Captain stopped her. "I know you may have a lot of questions. But this is not the time. I must hurry. Otherwise it will be too late to save him. You stay here, you will be safe. The whole colony is being watched upon by Alliance soldiers." And then she was gone shouting orders at the soldiers. Soon they boarded their fleet and went after the slavers vessel. Miranda watched them go. She still have some hope left that John will come back… he will come back to her. But next thing she felt a hand covering her mouth and someone pressed something under her nose and blackness engulfed her._

/

 _ **PRESENT TIME**_

"Next when I regained consciousness I found myself restrained and Henry Lawson was there in front of me." Miranda said clenching her teeth.

Oriana gasped. "So it was father's men….. But how did they kidnapped you amongst all those alliance soldiers?"

"I don't know but I have an idea. It's unimportant. The thing is….. I lost him that day, Ori." Miranda said in a broken voice.

"'Randa have faith. I know the depth of your love for him, it will bring him back to you one day." Oriana tried to sooth her sister.

"You are reading too much love stories." Miranda teased still with tears in her eyes.

Oriana shrugged. Then she saw something on her sister's computer which was left open. "Wow! 'Randa, look at that." She said.

Miranda turned to look at her computer. There was a news playing on the extranet. The reporters are saying "The first human Spectre is chosen? Yes it has been done. Commander Shepard has become the first human Spectre." Then a photo of Shepard was shown on the screen.

Oriana looked dreamily at the screen. Watching her sister's stare, Miranda got curios, "What are you looking at?"

"Isn't he handsome? I mean look at him. Those broad chest and shoulders, those abs, biceps and that face. Who will be fortunate enough to have him?" Oriana said dreamily.

"He is too old for you Ori." Miranda pointed out. "But, yeah maybe he is a little handsome."

"Maybe a little handsome? Are you nuts sis? He is the most desired man in the galaxy. Even Asaris desires him."

Miranda looked away. She felt strange whenever she looked at Commander Shepard in the news or extranet. What her sister said is true. He is really the most handsome man she had ever seen but sometimes she felt that somehow she knew him and those blue eyes, they were….. just like _his_ eyes.

"'Randa you there." Oriana said waving her hand in front of Miranda's face.

"What?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing, you seemed to be thinking about something for a while." Oriana said.

"It was nothing. I was thinking about my work because I have much work to do." Miranda lied.

"Alright, if you say so." Oriana didn't believed her sister entirely.

"It's time to take you to your home, Ori. I have to leave now." Miranda said.

"Okay. Let's…. but when will I see you again?" Oriana asked.

"Soon… Ori… soon." Miranda smiled and they both slowly left her place.

/

 **So, here is the update on Miri and John's past. I hope you like it. Review if you want.**


	6. I am John Shepard

John and his team reached Chora's Den to look for Harkin. Inside the club they saw two krogans arguing. One of them was wearing red armor and had scars all over his face. From their conversation John came to know that the name of the krogan in red armor was Wrex. Then Wrex left the conversation and walked out from the club pushing John aside.

"What was that about?" Kaidan asked.

"Who knows? Let's just try not to get caught in the middle." Ashley shrugged.

After searching for few minutes the trio finally spotted Harkin, sitting at a table at the dark corner of the club. He looked up when they approached him.

"Alliance military. Hmph. I coulda been a marine you know. Instead I joined the goddamned Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life." Harkin babbled.

"Cut the crap out. I am not interested in your business. I am looking for a C-Sec officer. A turian named Garrus." John said irritably.

"Garrus? Ha! You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down, eh?" He smirked.

"None of your goddamned business." John growled. Then he grabbed Harkin by his collar and lifted him off his feet from the ground. "I don't have time for your bullshit. Tell me where to find Garrus." John said coldly.

Everyone at the club was now aware of John holding Harkin up with one hand. People whispered among themselves but watching their uniform they didn't came forward. "Isn't that Commander Shepard?"

"Yes. It's him."

"Oh god! He is strong and handsome."

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Whispered followed John like always mainly among female population. Kaidan almost face-palmed himself, almost. Ashley was looking annoyed.

"Alright. Alright. Just let me down." Harkin stuttered. John let him down. Harkin continued, "Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs the med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was going back there."

John turned towards his teammates and signalled them to follow him.

"Anderson is not who you think. He has many secrets. Do you know that he was a Spectre?" harkin shouted behind them. John stopped and glanced at Harkin over his shoulder with a glare which made him shut up. The trio continued their walk.

"I see why this place is so popular. It's got quite the, uh, view." Kaidan said looking at the Asari dancers. Next second he let out a "Ouch!" as Ashley pinched him hard. Kaidan saw that Ashley was glaring at him.

"What it's true. I mean…. What do you say Comman…..? Where did he go?" Kaidan said as they couldn't see their Commander anywhere.

"There…." Ashley spotted him far away. He was already outside the club and walking towards the elevator. Ashley and Kaidan hurried to catch up with him. "Look at the attention the Commander got from the ladies but he never even glance at them. Dunno why." He murmured.

"Maybe he's got a girlfriend or wife." Ashley added.

"No. He neither have a girlfriend, nor a wife." Kaidan said looking at John's back who was walking at front of them but he didn't missed the expression of satisfaction that ran over Ashley's face when he mentioned that Shepard has no girlfriend. He smirked.

"Why are you so bothered? Do you have hots for him?" Kaidan chuckled.

Ashley's cheeks turned red but only for a second. She quickly composed herself and replied, "I am not bothered about his love life. It's you who was babbling about him. I just…"

"Maybe yeah I babbled about him. But you can't deny that you like him and I mean like him a lot. I saw you almost drooling when he held up Harkin with one hand. But it wasn't only you. Other women in the club were also drooling." He waggled his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.

"No. I … So, what if I like him? It's none of your business." Ashley said embarrassed.

Kaidan chuckled loudly which made John look back towards them curiously which made Ashley blush even more.

"What's the joke, Kaidan?" John asked smiling.

"No offense, Commander. But it was between me and Williams." Kaidan said.

"None taken." John shrugged and entered the elevator.

"I wonder why the Captain didn't tell us that he was a Spectre?" Ashley asked.

"Maybe it's not true. Harkin's an ass. I bet he's just messing with our heads." Kaidan replied.

"You're probably right and the Commander should have punched him. Still I'd like to hear what the Captain has to say about all this." Ashley said.

 _ **13 YEARS AGO…**_

"Soldiers, board the vessel. We have to follow the slavers. They have taken civilians with them." The Captain ordered her soldiers.

"Yes, Captain." They saluted and quickly boarded the fleet followed by their Captain.

The Alliance fleet immediately took off from Mindoir and followed the slaver's ship to the outer space. "Captain, we have got them on scanners." said one of the helmsman.

"Very well. Don't let them get away." The Captain said.

They followed the slaver's ship for some time and finally got the slaver's ship in their attack range.

"We are not here to take them out. We need to slow them down. Take out their engine and slow them down. Fire at will!" The Captain ordered. The Alliance fleet fired at her Captain's order and took out one of it's engines causing it to slow down.

"All men report to battle station. Prepare to board the enemy ship. Remember, looking for civilians is priority." The Captain ordered and walked towards the gunnery to pick her weapons. The Alliance soldier finally boarded the enemy ship with their Captain in lead. Immediately they received heavy fire from the enemies forcing them to take cover. The Captain peeked out slightly. She observed two slavers on top of a catwalk has pinned down her soldiers but they were in such a position she couldn't get a clear aim at them. So, she lobbed a grenade at the catwalk's support causing it to give away and crash down with the two slavers on top of it. She pulled out her assault rifle and rained bullets on the enemies giving her soldiers covering fire to push forward. Both sides kept on fighting for a long time. Few Alliance soldiers got hurt in the battle but nothing serious. Finally the Alliance soldiers overpowered the slavers. The remaining few slavers surrendered themselves.

"Marines, search for the civilians."

"Aye, aye Captain." The soldiers acknowledged her order and scattered around the ship, looking for civilians. They managed to rescue the civilians within few minutes.

"Corporal all civilians secured?" The Captain asked.

"We couldn't find anyone else, Captain."

"No. No. Wait. There is one more, a teenage boy, probably sixteen years old."

"Where is he?" The Captain asked the civilian.

"I don't know. He tried to fight against them. So, they took him away from our cell."

The Captain turned towards the Corporal. "Search the ship, again."

The Corporal saluted and he disappeared with other soldiers in the ship. After few minutes the Corporal returned and saluted the Captain. "Captain, we found him. But…." The Corporal reported.

"But… what?"

"He is in severe condition Captain. They tortured him almost to death. He barely has a pulse."

"Then prepare emergency first aid and try to stable him."

"Aye Captain. I already radioed for them to prepare for emergency."

"Where is he? Take me to him."

The Corporal took her to the place where the boy is. When she reached she saw that the medics are already trying to stabilize him and treating to his wounds. The boy was badly tortured. His face was bruised and there was numerous wounds on his body which were bleeding profusely. _If I had my son he would have been exactly this boy's age._ She thought sadly. Then suddenly her eyes fell on the boy and she noticed something was sticking out from the boy's pocket. Curiously she pulled it out and held it in front of her eyes to examine it. It was a picture of the boy and the girl who requested her to save this boy earlier. She sighed and watched the medics treating the wounds on his face. As they turned his head left her eyes widened as she spotted something. She rushed forward and pushed the medic aside. It was a birthmark at his neck and it was the same birthmark her son had and exactly at the same place.

"Take of his boots now." She ordered. The medics looked confused at her behaviour but they followed her order nonetheless. After they took of his boots she examined his right leg and her eyes misted and few drops of tears fell from her eyes. The medics looked at the Captain alarmed.

"Captain are you alright?" One of the medics asked her.

"I… "

"Captain are you feeling alright?" The medic asked again. But she didn't answer, instead she placed the boy's head on her lap and started sobbing. The other soldiers also got concerned at their Captain's behaviour. They worked with their Captain for years and she never acted like this after watching a tortured teenage boy.

"Captain!" The captain called out little loudly which caused her to look towards them. But she looked down again towards the boy's face caressing his face and running her hands through his hairs in a motherly way.

"Captain, do you know this poor boy?" The Corporal asked.

"Yes….. I do." She said in a trembling voice.

"Who is he?" The marine asked curiously.

"He… He is John Shepard, my son." She said in a soft voice with a sad smile. Part of her is overjoyed that she, Captain Hannah Shepard got her son back after sixteen long years and another part of her is frightened that he may not live now to know that his mother is alive. Hearing her confession all the marines eyes widened. "How long will it take to reach the Citadel, Corporal?"

"Approximately one hour."

"Okay." Then she looked down at her son's face and whispered, "Hold on John, please hold on. For your mother."

 **48 Hours later at Huerta Memorial Hospital**

"How is my son, Doctor?" Hannah Shepard asked the doctor.

"His vitals are all normal again and he is out of danger. He will regain consciousness very soon." The Doctor gave a reassuring smile.

"Thank you doctor, for saving my son." Hannah said.

"I am glad that I could save your son. You don't need to thank me Captain, that's my job."

"Can I see him now?"

"Ah. Yes. You can. Doctor Chakwas is looking over him at this moment."

"Thank you again Doctor."

Hannah Shepard left the doctor there and walked inside the patient ward to see her son. When she reached there, she saw Dr. Chakwas was sitting beside her son quietly.

"Karin….." Hannah whispered.

Dr. Chakwas looked towards Hannah and smiled slightly. "Your son is okay Hannah, don't worry."

"Why isn't he waking up? There are many things I would like to talk about with him." Hannah said running her left hand through John's hairs.

"Give him some time. His body needs time. It's a miracle that he survived after what he went through."

"But….." Hannah tried to say something to Karin but she stopped hearing a whisper from her son's mouth. She smiled, happy at the thought that her son finally woke up. She looked towards him and saw that his eyes were still closed, although he was murmuring something.

"What's he saying?" Hannah asked her friend Karin.

"I don't know. Let's try to hear it more carefully." Karin replied.

They both listened intently to John's faint whispers and they could understand what he is saying. He was repeating someone's name unconsciously.

"Miri….. I am sorry. Miri….. Miri…. Miri….." John mumbled unconsciously.

"I think he is looking for someone is his sleep." Karin said.

"Yeah. And I think I know who he is looking for." Hannah replied smiling towards her son's face.

"Who is it? You know that person? Then I would suggest to bring that person here. It would speed up his recovery process."

"My future daughter-in-law. My son is looking for the girl he loves." Hannah replied. She realized that her son was in love when she saw the picture of that girl in his pocket, the way he is searching for her subconsciously and the way that girl looked when she requested Hannah to save John. They both were in love, the two teenagers. Hannah was glad that her son had someone to look after him when she couldn't be there with him.

"How can you be so sure, Hannah?" Karin asked.

"I know. I had some proofs or you can call it as a mother's intuition." Hannah replied.

After an hour later, John slowly opened his eyes to realize that he is lying in a hospital bed and two women were looking down at him with smiles on their lips. One of them he realized was a doctor and the other one was an Alliance soldier and….. and her eyes…. her eyes were exactly like his.

"Where am I?" He groaned as a sharp pain shot through his head as he tried to sit up.

"Relax, son. You have been through a lot. Rest." The doctor said preventing him to sit up.

"No. You don't understand. I have to get to her. She is all alone out there. I can't just stay here. I…." John continued babbling but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, young man. I have sent my men to retrieve her from there. She will be here with you." The Alliance officer assured him. She watched him relaxing a little and lay down again.

"Thank you, Mam. Thanks for saving me and going after her." John said.

"John. I am Captain Hannah Shepard and this is my dearest friend Dr. Karin Chakwas." Hannah introduced herself and her friend Karin to her son. He gave them an appreciative smile. Dr. Chakwas checked him and stood up from her seat to talk with her friend.

"I will leave the two of you alone now." Karin said to her friend. Hannah nodded.

When the Doctor left she sat down beside John and looked at him intently. "I need to talk to you about something, John." Hannah said.

"Anything, mam. I am listening." He said.

"I didn't give you my full identity a moment ago. There's more to this. I am Captain Hannah Shepard and…. and…. I am also your mother, son." She confessed to him.

He froze and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he just heard. His mother is _alive_? Then why did she left him in the orphanage? And if she had some obligations, why didn't she return to take him back later? His eyes watered and he looked down not wanting to meet his mother's eyes.

"John please look at me. Hear me out, please?" Hannah pleaded.

"What's there to hear, _mother_?" He snapped angrily. "All this years I thought that I had known that my parents died, so I grew up in an orphanage. But suddenly I came to know that my mother has been alive for all these years serving in military. Why you didn't ever tried to find me, once?" He asked crying.

"Believe me John, I did. For five years. Your father died defending you and me. They, your father's enemies knocked me out and took you away. I… I couldn't do anything. But I hunted those bastards down who killed your father and took my son away from me. They said that they lost you on road when their taxi crashed down on the streets. I…" Hannah said also crying.

Shame and guilt filled him. He realized that his mother did everything she could to find him and to avenge his father. He lost his father but he cannot lose his mother too. "I…. I am sorry mother. I didn't know." He stuttered.

"It's me who should be sorry, son. Not you. If I tried harder….."

"No. I know you did your best. I don't blame you mother."

"You don't?" Hannah's face brightened.

"No. I love you mom. I love you and I missed you." He said sitting up and hugging his mother tightly, hiding his face in his mother's chest. Hannah held her son tightly to her body as tears of happiness fell from her eyes.

"I love you too my son and I missed you too." She said kissing his forehead.

He smiled after pulling himself away from his mother's embrace. He lay down on his bed because he was still very weak.

"You know John, I am proud of you." Hannah smiled at her son.

"Why?" He looked at her curiously.

"I know about your sacrifice. Your 'Miri' told me about it. She was the one who requested me to save you."

"You two already met?"

"Yeah. But I must say you got yourself a fine young lady, who cares for you and she is quite beautiful." She said and smiled when she saw the blush creeping up on her son's face.

"Yeah. She… she is amazing." He blushed more and his mother's smile widened.

"I know that she truly cares about you, John and I can't wait to see you two get married and give me grandchildrens someday." She teased.

"Mom. Stop it." John turned bright red and Hannah chuckled. She laid a hand on his forehead and said, "Sleep John. I am here and your Miri will also be here when you wake up. Sleep."

He smiled and took his mother's hands in his and fell asleep almost instantly.


	7. The First Human Spectre

**AT DR. MICHEL'S CLINIC**

John hid himself behind the wall at the clinic entrance signaling Kaidan and Ashley to remain quite. He peeked slightly to see that Dr. Michel was surrounded by thugs and they all had weapons in their hands. Then he spotted Garrus, crouching behind a low wall inside the clinic. John realized Garrus was trying to take out the thug that had his gun pointed at the doctor.

"I didn't tell anyone. I swear." Dr. Michel begged to the thug.

"That was smart, Doc." The thug replied.

"Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll…" The thug warned the doctor.

John realized that Garrus needs a distraction to take out the thug. He left his cover and showed himself to the thugs, Kaidan and Ashley followed him. The thugs immediately turned their weapons on the trio.

"Who are you?" The leader of the thugs asked.

"Let her go! Now!" John warned aiming his pistol at the thugs head.

Garrus got the distraction he needed and he took out the leader with a clean head shot with his pistol from behind. The thug died and the doctor freed herself. The rest of the thugs were taken out by the trio before they could react.

"Perfect timing Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard." Garrus said.

"You took him down clean." John praised.

"Sometimes you get lucky." Garrus shrugged. He turned towards the doctor. "Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?" Garrus asked softly.

"No. I'm okay. Thanks to you. All of you." She said, still a little shaken.

"Why were they threatening you? Who do they work for?" John asked.

"They work for fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian." Dr. Michel said.

"What quarian?" John asked.

"A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

"Where is she now?"

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not any more. Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it." Garrus added.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite a offer." Dr. Michel asked.

"The quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get." Garrus concluded.

"What else can you tell me about the quarian?" John asked.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, she wanted to trade information for a place to hide. She didn't….." Dr. Michel stopped and her face brightened. "Wait a minute! Geth. Her information had to do with the geth!"

"She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way the council can ignore this!" Garrus said.

"Wait didn't we overheard that krogan in Chora's Den, talking about some kind of dealings with Fist?" Ashley interrupted.

"Yeah, we did. Time we paid Fist a visit." John replied.

"This is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you." Garrus said.

"No offense. But you're a turian like Saren. Why do you want to bring him down?" john asked curiously.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation. But I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!" Garrus spat.

"Welcome aboard, Garrus." John smiled and they both shook hands.

"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out." Garrus said.

"Yeah, that was him in the bar." Ashley said.

"A krogan might come in handy." John said looking towards Ashley.

"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy." Garrus informed.

"What is he doing there?" Kaidan asked.

"Fist accused him of making threats. We brought Wrex in for a little talk. If we hurry, we can catch him at the Academy before he leaves." Garrus said.

"Let's move out." John said and they were about to leave but Dr. Michel stopped him. "I never properly thanked you for saving me from Fist's thugs, Commander. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"I'm just glad you weren't hurt." John said.

She smiled hearing his answer. "What I heard about you is true Commander. You really are a good man. Dr. Chakwas is my friend, she told me all about you."

"Ah… Well." John rubbed the back of his neck hearing the praise from the doctor.

"I won't stop you anymore Commander." She smiled again which John returned and left with his crew.

John and Garrus were walking forward while Kaidan and Ashley were following them from behind.

"You know next time don't be so obvious when you ogle at the Commander. Show some restraint." Kaidan teased Ashley.

"When we return to the Normandy I want you to spar with me, so that I could kick your ass Lieutenant." Ashley said angrily trying to cover up the blush that was spreading on her cheeks.. Kaidan laughed lightly.

 **C-SEC ACADEMY**

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fit's bar. Stay away from him." A C-Sec officer warned Wrex.

"I don't take orders from you." Wrex replied evenly.

"This is your only warning Wrex."

"You should warn Fist. I will kill him."

"You want me to arrest you?"

"I want you to try."

"Go on. Get out of here." The C-Sec officer said angrily.

The krogan was leaving but John stopped him. "My name's Shepard. I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to come along." John offered the huge krogan.

"Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist."

"Fist knows you are coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together." Garrus said.

Wrex looked towards Garrus for few moment. Then he spoke, "My people have a saying: Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend."

"Glad to have you on team Wrex." John said and shook hands with Wrex.

"Let's go. I hate to keep Fist waiting."

 **AT THE WAREHOUSE – FIST'S HIDEOUT**

"Stop right there! Don't come any closer!" One of the workers of the warehouse warned John and his team. There were three workers with their guns pointing at John's team.

"Warehouse workers. All the real guards must be dead." Ashley whispered.

"Puny human! You dare raise a gun against me!" Wrex growled.

"Stay back or we'll shoot!" The worker said nervously watching the massive form of Wrex.

"Look there is no way you guys stand a chance against the five of us. You are already outnumbered. This would be a good time to find somewhere else to work." John reasoned with them.

The workers sighed in defeat and lowered their guns. "Yeah. Yeah, right. That's a good idea. I never liked Fist anyway." The workers left the warehouse.

"It would've been easy to just kill them." Wrex grumbled.

"Shooting people isn't always the answer." Ashley said.

"Alright team let's go and say hello to Fist." John said.

"Aye, aye Commander." Kaidan and Ashley said in unison.

"Yeah, let's go. If we get this done quickly we can probably save the quarian and find out what she's up to." Garrus said.

"Fist is mine." Wrex clasped his hands.

The five of them slowly kept on proceeding forward until they found their paths blocked by at least fifty thugs of Fist.

"Things, get never boring around you Commander." Kaidan remarked.

"I agree with your Lieutenant, Shepard." Garrus smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. This is what I have been waiting for. Come on." Wrex said.

The thugs started firing on them immediately on Fist's order. They all dove for cover. John threw his sniper towards Garrus as he only had a pistol. "Make it count Garrus." John said.

"You got it Shepard." Garrus replied and put his eyes on the scope of the sniper and shot one thug right at his chest. "Scoped and dropped." Garrus reported.

John peeked out of cover and fired several rounds from his assault rifle taking down two thugs by head shot.

"Nice shooting." Garrus commented.

Ashley and Kaidan fired in unison taking out five more thugs. Two thugs tried to push forward to their position but they were killed by a single shot from Wrex's shotgun. Garrus took out two more with the sniper.

"Two of the thugs hiding behind that table. Can't get a clean shot." Garrus commented.

"Ashley frag out." John ordered. She nodded and lobbed a frag grenade behind the table. The two thugs tried to run away from the cover to save themselves from the impact of the grenade but it already detonated before they could escape.

"Two more down." Ashley said.

"They have superior positions. We have to take them down from front." John said.

"Understood Commander." Kaidan said. He pulled out several flash bangs and handed one to the each, keeping one for himself.

"Flash and clear." John ordered.

Garrus holstered his sniper and readied his pistol. Then all of them threw five flash bangs in five different places blinding all the thugs. "Move, move." John said. Before they could move forward Wrex rushed past them with a growl and tackled five of the thugs knocking them out cold.

"That works too." Garrus remarked. The four of them followed Wrex and joined the firefight. Within a minute all the remaining guards were left dead or unconscious.

Wrex grabbed Fist and held him up by his throat growling at him menacingly.

"Tell me where the quarian is and I won't have to let Wrex tear you to shreds." John said coldly.

"She's not here. I don't know where she is. That's the truth." Fist lied.

Wrex increased the pressure on his throat causing Fist to struggle for his breath.

"He's no use to you now, Shepard. Let me kill him." Wrex said.

"Wait! Wait! I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her." Fist stuttered. Wrex let him down on the ground. Fist caught his breath and continued, "The quarian isn't here. Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Face to face? Impossible! Even I was hired through an agent." Wrex said.

"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Ever. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her." Fist confessed.

John's expression turned cold. He grabbed Fist and slammed him into the wall with one hand and said coldly on his face, "Give me the location. Now."

"Here on the wards. The back alley by the markets. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry."

Wrex immediately raised his gun and pointed at Fist.

"Drop the gun, krogan." Ashley warned.

"The Shadow broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." Wrex said.

"We don't shoot unarmed prisoners Wrex." John said.

"How many people died because of him? He brought this on himself. Besides, we have more pressing concerns." Wrex said.

"That quarian is dead if we don't go now!" Ashley said a little loudly.

Wrex finally let go of Fist and pushed him down on the floor. When the five of them turned to leave, Wrex snatched the pistol from Garrus' hand and shot Fist at his knee. Then he handed the gun back to Garrus.

"That's the least I must do." He said and walked past them. Garrus shrugged.

.

 **LOCATION: AT THE BACK ALLEY OF THE WAREHOUSE**

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" The quarian asked the turians in front of her.

"They'll be here. Where's the evidence?" The leader of the turian replied.

"No way. The deal's off." The quarian replied and turned away to leave but she found her path blocked by three turians. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked the turian leader.

"We're not leaving without the evidence and you aren't either."

"You. You are Saren's men."

"Got that didn't you. Now, give the evidence to us like a nice girl."

"No. Never."

"Then we will have to take it by force. You left us no choice."

The turians stepped towards the quarian and she stepped back. She knew there's no way she could take out all the seven of them by herself. But before they could touch her, three of the turians heads were blasted apart.

"What the….." The turian leader said surprised. He looked towards his left, only to be tackled by a huge krogan in red armor. The krogan smashed him on the wall and killed him with a bullet from his shotgun. The other turians were also killed in the meantime by the rapid fire from the human's assault rifle who was now walking towards her slowly in a non-threatening way.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" the quarian said to John.

"Don't worry about Fist. He got what was coming to him." John assured her.

"Then I guess there are two things I need to thank you for. Who are you?" She asked.

"I am John Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren is a traitor."

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe."

"The ambassador's office. It's safe there. He'll want to see this anyway." Ashley said.

"Okay. Thanks to all of you, for saving my life. I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." Tali extended her hand to shake hand with Shepard.

"Alright everyone let's move." John said and everyone followed. Tali also followed them but she couldn't help but look at the human named Shepard. He seemed different than other humans. She realized that she can trust this human. Something about him make her trust him. She don't know what made her do that. Besides these facts she couldn't help but notice that he is very handsome by human standards. Her eyes lingered on him all the time. She was thankful that no one could see her ogling him since her face is hidden by her helmet. She shook those thoughts away and followed them.

UDINA'S OFFICE

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? Do you know how many….." Udina stopped when he noticed a young female quarian among Shepard's crew. "Who's this? A quarian? What are you up to Shepard?" Udina asked frustrated.

"Making your day, Ambassador. She has information linking Saren to the geth." John replied curtly.

"Really?" Udina's face lighted up. "Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss…..?" He said looking towards Tali.

"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." Tali introduced herself.

"We don't have many quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?" Udina asked.

"I was on my pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood. It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and our people behind. Alone, we search the stars, only returning to the flotilla once we have discovered something of value. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood." Tali explained.

"What kind of things do you look for?" John asked curiously.

"It could be resources like food or fuel. Or some type of useful technology. Or even knowledge that will make life easier on the flotilla. Through our pilgrimage, we prove that we will contribute to the community, rather than being a burden on our limited resources."

"What do you found?"

"During my travels I began hearing reports of the geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died. Some kind of defense mechanism." Anderson said.

"What did you find out from it?" John asked.

"Most of the core was wiped clean. But I salvaged something from its audio banks." Tali said and she played the audio file in her Omni-tool.

" _Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit._ "

"That's Saren's voice. This proves he was involved in the attack!" Anderson said excited.

"He said Eden Prime brought him one step closer to finding the Conduit. Any idea what that means?" John asked Anderson.

"The Conduit must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe it's some kind of Prothean technology….. like a weapon." Anderson said.

"Wait…. There's more. Saren wasn't working alone." Tali interrupted. She played the audio log again.

" _Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit._ "

" _And one step closer to the return of the Reapers._ "

"I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about the Reapers." Udina said tapping his chin.

"Are they some kind of new alien species?" John asked.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe." Tali answered.

"Sounds a little far-fetched." Udina said.

John rubbed his temple. "The vision on Eden Prime – I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back." Tali said.

"The Council is just going to love this!" Udina commented dryly.

"The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space. We have to tell them." John insisted.

"No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor." Anderson said.

"The Captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away." Udina said.

"What about her? The quarian?" Wrex questioned.

"My name is Tali!" Tali said irritated. Then she looked towards John. "Let me come with you Commander. I can help you."

"I thought you were on your Pilgrimage." John said.

"The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My pilgrimage can wait." She explained.

"I'll take all the help I can get." John said with a small smile and shook hands with her. "Welcome to the team, Tali."

"Thanks. You won't regret this." She said.

"Anderson and I will go ahead to get things ready with the Council. Take a few minutes to collect yourself, then meet us in the Tower." Udina said. He and Anderson left the office to arrange another meeting with the Council.

 **CITADEL TOWER**

"Come on. Udina is presenting the quarian's evidence to the Council." Anderson said to John. They could hear the audio log playing which contain the proof of Saren's betrayal.

"You wanted proof. There it is." Udina said to the Council.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." The turian councilor declared.

"I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia." The asari Councilor added.

"Who's she?" John asked.

"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentor to my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." The asari councilor explained.

"I'm more interested in the Reapers. What do you know about them?" The salarian councilor cut in.

"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core. The reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished." Anderson answered.

"The geth believe the reapers are gods and Saren is the prophet for their return." John said.

"We think the conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren is searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime." Anderson said.

"Do we even know what this conduit is?" The salarian councilor asked.

"Saren thinks it can bring back the reapers. That's bad enough." John answered.

"Listen to what you're saying! Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be." The turian councilor argued. He babbled more, "Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something!"

"I tried to warn you about Saren, and you refused to face the truth. Don't make the same mistake again." John said angrily.

"This is different. You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why." The asari councilor added.

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander. A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will." The salarian councilor added.

"We can't take any steps based on legends. There was also a legend among my people…. An asari Matriarch predicted – _When the galaxy will be at peril a hero will rise to save us. He or she will have no match in battle_. But that was a prediction." The asari councilor added.

"50,000 years ago, the reapers wiped out the galactic civilization. If Saren finds the Conduit, it will happen again!" This time John spoke a little loudly.

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the right or resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position." The turian councilor said.

"That is not good enough! You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!" Udina proposed.

"A fleet cannot track down one man." The salarian councilor said.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies." Udina said.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems! We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!" The turian councilor said evenly.

John stepped forward. "I can take Saren down."

"The Commander is right. There is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies." The asari councilor said.

"No! It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres." The turian councilor argued again.

"I faced Saren on Eden Prime and exposed him for a traitor. I've proven myself." John said with confidence.

The Councilors whispered among themselves for few seconds. Finally the asari councilor spoke, "Commander Shepard – step forward. It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." The salarian councilor said.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." The asari councilor added again.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." The turian councilor said.

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander." This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." The asari councilor said to John.

"I am honored, Councilor." John said.

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him." The salarian councilor said.

"I'll find him." John said with determination.

"The meeting of the Council is adjourned." The asari councilor said ending the hearing.

"Congratulations, Commander" Anderson shook hands with John.

"We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard. You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies…." Udina said.

"You'll get access to special equipment now. You should go down to the Spectre Academy and speak to the Spectre Requisitions officer." Anderson said.

"Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help to set all this up." Udina said and strode off with Anderson at his toe.

Tali turned towards John. "I thought the ambassador would be a little more grateful. He didn't even thank you."

"I didn't expected it from him. Come on." John said.

"Right behind you, Shepard." Garrus and Wrex said in unison. Ashley and Kaidan gave him a small salute. As they started walking to meet Udina and Anderson, a single thought came to John's mind, " _I wish you were here Miri._ "

 _ **A/N: After playing Mass Effect I got a feeling that all the women in Shepard's team were attracted to him. Although Tali's attraction towards Shepard was revealed in ME2, I think it's better if she had a crush from the start.**_


	8. Delving into the past

**HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, CITADEL – 13 YEARS AGO**

John woke up from his sleep on his bed in the hospital to find that his mother was looking towards him with a smile on her face. The first question that came out from his mouth was, "Mom! Is she here?"

Instead of answering his mother indicated him to look towards his right. He slowly turned his head towards his right. _And there she was. She looked perfect and beautiful as ever._ She sat there looking towards him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Miri….." He whispered. Silent tears started to run down from his eyes but those were happy tears. She took his right hands in her and squeezed it lightly. "I am here, John. I am here with you and I will always be with you, in here." She said placing her hand over his heart. "I know that I will be always in your heart and you will also be in mine, forever. But…"

"But, what Miri?" He asked softly taking her hands in his.

"I know this will hurt you, John. I know it will. Believe me, I don't want to do this because it is tearing me apart but I have no choice. I have to go now. I think this isn't the time for us to reunite. But I will wait for you to find me, once you are ready."

"No….. No." He whispered.

"Listen to me, John. The galaxy will need a hero one day and I know that he will be you."

"No! Miri! Please, don't leave me! Please, don't! I can't survive without you."

"You have to John. You have to become the hero the galaxy will need as its savior, my savior."

"Miri! Don't leave me, please! I love you." He pleaded.

"I love you too John. But I have to go. I am sorry John. I am so sorry."

John tried to take her hands in his again to stop her leaving but he saw her slowly disappearing into thin air, right in front of his eyes. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed.

John woke up with a scream in his bed. Dr. Chakwas came rushing towards him with concern on her face.

"What happened son? Are you feeling alright?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

Instead of answering her, he observed his surroundings first to realize that he was only dreaming. "I am okay. Where's my mom?" He asked.

"Hannah has gone to Mindoir colony to retrieve your friend. She will be here anytime now. Relax, son." Dr. Chakwas said running her hand over his head in a motherly affection.

At that moment Hannah Shepard entered the cabin, her face grim. John looked at his mother, then towards the door. "Where is she, mom?" He asked.

She looked towards her son and saw there was concern evident all over his face. Her expression turned sadder. "We couldn't find her there. The people of the colony said that she hadn't been seen since I left the planet to chase the slavers." Hannah explained.

"No. She must be there. She…" He stopped when his mother pulled him into a tight hug. "She's gone, John. She's gone."

"No. She won't leave me. She can't."

"John…."

"Go after her father. He must have some knowledge about her even if he is not involved in her disappearance."

"Who is her father?"

"Henry Lawson."

"I think I heard that name somewhere." Hannah said.

"Henry Lawson, one of the most powerful industrialist and businessman to ever exist." Dr. Chakwas answered.

"Yeah. Yeah. There was an article about him a few days ago on the news." Hannah turned towards John and asked, "Why is the daughter of Henry Lawson staying with you for all these years, John?"

"Mom. You need to know something….."

He explained to his mom about Miri, how she was mistreated and why she ran away.

"But Henry Lawson was never married and there was never any rumor about him having a child. Then how can….."

"Mom wait. Listen to me…" John hesitated at first but he realized that his mother must know about this, otherwise she can't help. So, he explained to her about Miranda's birth process. Both the women's eyes were large as saucers after hearing his story.

"That poor soul. Now I understand, why she ran away from her home." Dr. Chakwas said.

"Mom. You should confront Henry Lawson. Interrogate him and get her back. I bet he is involved behind her disappearance." John said angrily.

"John we can't do that, without evidence. But I think I can do something. I have some men who can keep watch on Henry Lawson's activity from now on." Hannah said.

"Very well, mom." John sighed.

Four long months passed away without any news of Miranda Lawson. Hannah concluded that maybe Henry Lawson wasn't involved in this. Maybe she is running after a wrong suspect. Her men never saw Henry Lawson acting suspicious or going to any secret place. They even disguised himself as Government's men and entered the house to search it. But there was nothing out of ordinary there. She realized her son wasn't doing well at all. He seemed…..

 **4 YEARS LATER**

"Mom! I want to join the Alliance." John said.

"Why John? Why suddenly Alliance?" Hannah asked.

"For her, mom. I need to become strong enough to protect her from all dangers."

"But…."

"This is my choice, mom."

"Very well, john. If this is what you want. But I don't want to rush you into anything."

"I have thought about this for some months. And I want this career."

"As you wish. Tomorrow we will go and make the arrangements." Hannah sighed.

 **FEW MORE YEARS LATER**

"Mom, I have been assigned to work under Captain Anderson." John said.

"I heard that. He is a good man John, a wise man. You should be proud that you are going to work under him." Hannah said.

"You know Captain Anderson?" He asked.

"Yes I know him. He is an old friend of mine and your father."

"Really? That's…"

"You are lucky to have him as your mentor john. There are very few skilled Alliance soldiers like him."

"I know. I admire Captain Anderson." He said and looked downwards hesitating. Hannah sensed his hesitancy.

"Anything you want to say, John?"

"You heard anything about her?" He asked softly. Guilt filled inside Hannah Shepard's heart. All these years she hardly ever saw her son smiling about something. She thought that his feelings for that girl will go away but it only strengthened over the years. Sometimes she couldn't understand how deeply her son loved the girl that after so many years he still couldn't let her go.

"No. Nothing. I am sorry, John." She said with guilt in her voice.

"It's okay mom. I guess….."

"You will find her one day, John. Believe me. You will or she will find you." She paused and then looked towards her son with a stern expression and ordered, "Now go and make me proud soldier."

"Aye, aye Captain." John saluted and left. Hannah looked towards her son in distance and sighed. She could only realize what her son is going through. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked back. It was Dr. Karin Chakwas.

"Karin…."

"Don't worry Hannah. He will be alright. He was the best in his class and training and he will be working under Captain Anderson." Karin soothed her friend.

"I know, but being a mother…" Hannah then took her friends hands in hers and requested, "You look after him for me. He looks at you as his second mother and he trusts you. Please look after my son, Karin."

"I will Hannah. I will. Don't worry." Karin assured her.

 _ **A/N: Well, this update is short, I know, But I needed to post this because you guys (and girls, don't know if any girl is reading this story or not) deserved to know how John lost his Miri. I hope you are enjoying this story. So, please review. Your reviews make my day.**_

 _ **NOTE: I don't know what you people think about the feelings between the two lovebirds. But I think that's true love what they have.**_


	9. The journey begins

"Do you ever regret leaving Citadel Security to pursue Saren, Garrus?" Tali asked.

"Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? I'd say that beats C-Sec." Garrus replied.

"I'm pleased that the imminent destruction of all organic life has improved your career opportunities." Tali teased. Garrus groaned. John chuckled.

 **AT THE DOCKS**

"I've got big news for you, Shepard. Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now." Udina said.

"She's quick and quiet and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander." Anderson said.

"I want the truth. Why are you stepping down, sir?" John asked.

"You needed your own ship. A Spectre can't answer to anyone but the Council. And it's time for me to step down." Anderson said.

"Come clean with me, captain. You owe me that much."

"I was in your shoes 20 years ago, Shepard. They were considering me for Spectres. I failed. I couldn't make the cut. It's not something, I am proud of. I had my shot. It came and went. Now you have a chance to make up for my mistakes." Anderson said.

John realized that Anderson isn't ready to let him what really happened between him and Saren 20 years ago. So he let it go. "I won't let you down, sir."

"Saren's gone. Don't even try to find him. But we know what he's after – the Conduit. He's got his geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues." Anderson advised.

"We had reports of geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony there dropped out of contact. And there have been sightings around Noveria." Udina added.

"Find out what Saren was after on Feros and Noveria. Maybe you can figure out where the Conduit is before he does." Anderson said.

"The Reapers are the real threat." John replied.

"I'm with the Council on this one, Shepard. I'm not sure they even exist." Udina said.

"But if they do exist, the Conduit's the key to bringing them back. Stop Saren from getting the Conduit and we stop the reapers from returning." Anderson said.

"I'll stop him." John said, his expression steely.

"We have one more lead. Matriarch Benezia, the other voice on the recording? She has a daughter, a scientist who specializes in the Protheans. We don't know if she's involved but it might be a good idea to try and find her. See what she knows. Her name's Liara. Dr. Liara T'Soni. We have reports she was exploring an archeological dig on one of the uncharted worlds in the Artemis Tau cluster." Udina informed.

"Sounds like we should head for the Artemis Tau cluster." John said.

"It's your decision, Commander. You're a Spectre now. You don't answer to us." Anderson said.

"But your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up." Udina added. Anderson threw the Ambassador a dirty look.

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop Saren." John replied.

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for Shepard. Remember you were a human long before you were a Spectre. Anyways, I have a meeting to get to. Captain Anderson can answer any questions you might have." Udina said and left from there.

John turned towards Anderson. "I want to know the truth about Saren. I want to know about the mission you were on together all those years ago." He then turned towards his team and said, "Team, get settled in the Normandy. I have important matters to discuss with the Captain, privately." His crew nodded and entered the Normandy leaving John and Anderson alone in the docks.

"We…" Anderson started to speak but he was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Forgive my son, Captain if he stepped beyond his limits. He always had a lot of questions."

Anderson turned back. "Admiral…" He said.

"Mom…." John said, his face lighted up.

"Now, now Anderson. Don't be so formal with me, old friend." Hannah said with a smile.

"It's you who called me by my rank, Hannah." Anderson replied.

"I guess I am the culprit here, then." She said and they all laughed.

"And about your son, he hasn't stepped beyond his limits. He deserves to know this." Anderson said.

"Maybe he does. But I know I know how uncomfortable you are with this subject, David. So, if you don't mind I can fill him in." Hannah offered.

"I will be glad. Now I think you both need to talk for yourselves. So, I will leave you two alone." Anderson said.

"I appreciate that, David." Hannah replied.

"Mom. What are you doing here?" John asked after Anderson left.

"To see you of course. I heard about your new rank and I am proud of you John." She replied.

"I know mom. I know. So can you tell me about Anderson and Saren?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. Listen…."

Hannah explained the time when Saren and Anderson went to a mission together after a rogue scientist who was trying to set up a facility to develop illegal AI technology. The Council sent Saren and Anderson was assigned to help him. They found the scientist protected by batarian mercenaries. Their mission was to get the scientist with minimum blood shed but Saren detonated a bomb at the refinery core. Everyone inside died. There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. They also died and the final death count was over 500. Most of them were civilians. Saren didn't cared about anything else than taking out the target. The blame was put on Anderson's shoulders because Saren framed him in his report. Of course the Council believed his report instead of Anderson's words and the chance of him becoming a Spectre was dissolved.

John's expression turned cold. "I'll end this, mom." He said.

"I know you are going to Artemis Tau. It won't be easy to find Benezia's daughter. I would advise you to look for worlds with Prothean ruins." Hannah advised. John nodded in understanding.

"I should go, now." John said. He turned away to leave. But Hannah stopped her son.

"John what's wrong? You look a little….." She asked.

"I wish she was here mom. I wish she could see me becoming a Spectre. I want to see the pride in her eyes she would have felt for me." He said sadly.

"John…. Wherever she is, she is watching you. And she is proud of you. Don't do this to yourself, son." Hannah said placing her hand on John's shoulder. She looked up to see his face and saw there were tears breaming at the corner of his eyes. _God, she won't ever understand how much her son loved that girl._ _She is the only weakness he have._ _Sometimes she felt a little jealous over the fact that it doesn't matter how much her son cares for her, but she will always be his second favorite person. But she overcame that feeling slowly in the past years._ "Now go son. Kick Saren so hard up his ass that he will thought second time about doing anything wrong. For the sake of the galaxy, for me and for her. Go!"

He nodded and they both saluted each other. Then he left his mother and entered the Normandy.

 **INSIDE THE NORMANDY**

"Commander, glad to have you in command." Joker said.

John didn't look at him. His gaze was towards the sky. "Saren's out there somewhere. I'm going to find him and when I do…." He murmured.

"Everyone in this ship is behind you Commander. 100 percent. Intercom's open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time." Joker said.

" _This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders – find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. This began with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse. But we know Saren won't stop there. His geth armies aren't going to stop to stay on the far fringes of Citadel space. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now, it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! Time to show them what humans are made of! Our enemy know we are coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them too. Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all…. We_ will _stop him!_ "

Ashley watched how the crew got the motivation from their Commander's speech and they started working more seriously with determination in their eyes. She just smiled proudly. _He really is something else._ She thought.

 **LOCATION UNKNOWN….**

Miranda watched the news of Commander Shepard becoming the first human Spectre. She was relieved that at last a human got that rank. But there was something else nagging her for quite a while. So, she was quite through the whole journey with her sister. She dropped Oriana at her house and left her with an embrace. Now she delved into her mind why she is feeling so…. _Uncomfortable_? No not really. But after watching that face on news something happened to her heart. _Those eyes, those clear blue eyes._ She felt as if she saw those eyes before and she got a feeling inside her that somehow she knew Commander Shepard. It sounds absurd because she never met him. Still…. He reminded her of someone she knew, someone she loved, still loves and always will. Her thoughts broke when she got a message on her Omni-tool. It was from the Illusive Man and he wanted to talk with her urgently. She realized it was time for her to go, so she pushed her thoughts about the Commander aside and started towards her destination.

 _ **A/N: Whew! I managed to write another one. Please review! ;)**_


	10. Benezia's daughter

**NORMANDY**

"Commander, there's geth activity on the planet Therum. Something is happening there. You should scout the planet. It's likely that Dr. T'Soni is in there. But I will have to drop you far away from the Prothean ruins. That area is full of hostiles." Joker said.

"Not a problem, Joker. We will take the Mako there." John said.

"Be careful out there Commander, the planet is flooded with magma and there are the geth." Joker said.

John nodded. "Tell the squad to suit up."

"Aye, aye Commander."

 _ **FEW MINUTES LATER…..**_

John was driving the Mako and Garrus was at his side as co-driver.

"Tell me, who gave you the driver's license, Shepard?" Garrus said and grunted as the Mako dropped on the ground violently after Shepard dodged an attack from the geth turret.

"I never got one." John answered.

Everyone's eyes widened. "You are kidding, right Commander?" Ashley asked.

"He is insane." Tali commented.

"Ha! Ha! I like this ride." Wrex laughed.

Garrus face palmed himself. "I don't think we need to worry about Saren killing us. We will be lucky if we survive this." Tali commented dryly.

"Garrus take that turret out." John said. Garrus fired a missile and it took care of the turret that was firing at them.

"Oh… I think I am going to be sick." Ashley said when the Mako gave another violent jerk.

"Shepard, what are you doing? We can't go through thereeeeeeee…" Tali screamed as John drove the Mako through a narrow gap between the hills.

"Ha! Ha! This is fun." Wrex laughed. John turned back towards Wrex and smirked at him. In the meantime Garrus fired the gun and took out few geth troopers. After driving for few minutes they stopped as there was a large gap between two sides of the river of lava.

"How do we get through this?" Tali asked.

"We should find another way." Garrus suggested.

"Garrus is right." Ashley said.

"I have an idea." John said eyeing the large rocks that were floating on the lava. Tali looked what he was staring at and her eyes widened under her helmet.

"Shepard, you surely aren't thinking about….." Tali said.

"Wait! Now what is he planning?" Garrus asked.

"I think he is trying to cross the river by jumping over those floating rocks." Tali said.

"You got to be kidding me!" Garrus shouted.

"I like the idea." Wrex said. Ashley scowled at him.

"There's no other way and Dr. T'Soni may be in danger. This is the quickest way." John said and he made the Mako jump on a floating rock without warning. Ashley and Tali screamed and grabbed each other out of fear. Wrex laughed. Garrus eyes were wide like saucers. They managed to cross the river but found their way blocked by a huge gate.

"It can't be blown apart. It's too thick." Garrus said.

"Then we have to find a way to manually override the gate. Come on." John said. He took Garrus and Tali with him. Wrex and Ashley stayed behind in the Mako.

"Shepard I think we can find the override panel in that room." Tali indicated towards her right side.

They entered and took care of the few geth that blocked their path. They returned safely to Mako and continued their journey. After driving for few minutes without encountering any hostiles they came to a stop. There was a narrow path between the rocks which will take them to the ruins but it can be accessed on foot only.

They left the Mako and pushed forward slowly. They didn't have to move much as the geth squad immediately started firing on them. They took cover behind the rocks. Ashley, Tali and Wrex kept the geth occupied with covering fire while John and Garrus took down the geth one by one with their sniper. The fight ended but not for long. After pushing further they could see a tunnel which would lead them to the Prothean ruins but they found their way blocked by another wave of geth troopers and a geth armature. They immediately dove for cover. Tali kept on hacking on hacking and taking down the shields of the geth while the rest of them finished the geth without their shields. They continued firing on the geth armature along with tech attacks. But it kept on regenerating its armor. John had an idea but he it was risky. He ordered Tali to take out the shields of the armature. She drained its shield with her tech powers and the rest of the shield was taken down by rapid firing. He and Garrus immediately fired some sniper shots on its armor causing it to weaken. He knew that it would try to regenerate its armor now. So, he didn't give it any opportunity. He ran forward and lobbed all the grenades he had with him towards its head. The blast from the multiple grenades took out the armature but the force of the explosion threw him and he collided against the rock with a sickening crunch and he felt his ribs crack. Garrus immediately came to his aid and helped him up on his feet.

"That was hell of a fight. Shepard you okay?" Garrus asked.

In the meantime the others also approached him. Ashley was looking towards him with concern. He shrugged their worries off.

"Good work team. We don't have time to waste. Let's push forward." John said and he entered the tunnel and the others followed. They faced few more geth and some geth assault drones. The five of them took out the drones easily and entered an elevator. They found an open ground after exiting from the elevator. John looked towards his right and saw a blue force field and inside the force was an asari. They hurried towards the force field.

"Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!" The asari said.

"Liara T'Soni, I presume." John said.

"Thank the Goddess! I did not think anyone would come looking for me. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?"

"There's some kind of repulsion field in the way." John said.

"It's a Prothean barrier curtain. I knew it would keep me safe from the geth. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out of here. Please!" Liara said.

"We'll find some way to help you." John assured her.

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. Be careful. There is a krogan with the geth. They have been trying different ways to get past the barrier." She explained.

"Don't worry Liara. We will find a way." John said and turned back. His eyes searched the area carefully looking for a way inside the barrier. Then his eyes spotted the mining laser. Tali activated it and made a way in the rock wall by blasting it apart. They found an elevator inside and took it to reach the upper level. There they saw Liara frozen. She turned her head sideways and said, "How…. How did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!" Liara said surprised.

"We blasted through with the mining laser." John said and Tali was already working on the console trying to deactivate it and free Liara.

"Of course. Yes. That makes sense." Liara said.

"Hold on Commander. Her mother is working with Saren. Can we trust her?" Ashley said. Tali stopped working on the console. She hesitated.

"I am not my mother! I don't even know why Benezia joined Saren. I don't want anything to do with that turian bastard!" Liara said.

"If she was with Saren, the geth wouldn't be trying to kill her." John said and indicated Tali to free Liara. Tali pushed a button on the console and Liara was freed. She turned towards them and said, "Thank you, Commander. If you weren't here I would be trapped here forever or trapped until the geth found a way beyond the barrier."

"Any idea how we get out of this place?" Garrus asked.

"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on!" Liara said.

They hurried towards the elevator and got inside. Liara looked towards John after she activated the elevator. "I still can't believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?"

"Saren's looking for the Conduit. You're a Prothean expert. He probably wants you to help him find it." John replied.

"The Conduit? But I don't know…" She stopped as the whole tower shook violently. "These ruins are not stable. The mining laser must have triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!"

"Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!" John said.

"Aye, eye, Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes." Joker replied through comm.

"Not much margin for error." Ashley commented.

They were about to exit the elevator but they found their way blocked by a krogan Battlemaster and about 10 geth. "Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun." The krogan said.

"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart." John said.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" The krogan said. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over."

"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me." Liara said.

"She'll stay with us, thanks." John said.

"Not an option. Saren wants her. And he gets what he wants." The krogan then turned towards the geth at his side and said, "Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter."

They attacked immediately. John pushed Liara away from the geth fire. Tali hacked one of the geth which returned fire on its comrade. Wrex charged at the krogan Battlemaster and tackled him to the ground. They kept on head butting, punching and thrashing on the ground. The rest of them took down the geth easily. They turned towards the krogan Battlemaster only to find that Wrex fly away with a powerful kick from the krogan Battlemaster. He stood on his feet slowly and charged at Garrus slamming him into the wall. Garrus armor protected him from breaking his bones but he stars in his eyes nonetheless. Liara tried to attack the krogan with her biotics but he back handed her and she slumped against the wall. Tali fired at the krogan's back but he just faltered. He turned around and head butted her causing her face-plate to crack. She fell on the ground screaming in pain. Ashley punched the krogan but he didn't feel a thing. He grabbed her by her throat and lifted her off her feet. She struggled to catch her breath until John tackled the krogan to the ground. The krogan threw the Spectre away off him easily.

"Shepard, this krogan isn't ordinary. He is too strong even for a krogan." Wrex said lying on the ground.

John was up on his feet immediately. He prepared himself for the krogan's attack. But the krogan surprised him by throwing a strange object towards him which collided on his chest and started emitting green gas. He coughed.

"That's a special gift to you Shepard, from Saren." The krogan said.

John struggled because he could hear some faint sounds in his ears and his vision was becoming blurry. He slumped on the ground trying to lessen the dizziness he was feeling. He got in a dreamlike state. He saw that Miranda - his Miri was with him, in here. He couldn't make out her face properly but he knew that it was her. She was fighting with him against the krogan and the geth until the krogan grabbed her from behind around her neck. The SMG fell from her hand with a loud clank on the ground as the krogan snapped her neck. He then threw her lifeless body on the ground beside him. _No! No! This can't happen. No! It can't._ He panicked.

The krogan laughed. He looked towards the krogan and something inside him awakened from rage and grief.

Liara, Ashley, Garrus and Wrex looked towards their Commander shaking on the ground violently. "What did you do to him?" Ashley yelled.

"That's a simple mixture of…." He stopped as his eyes fell on something and turned wide. Everyone else jaw dropped at the scene before them. There was Shepard standing on his feet in front of them. His whole body was glowing with dark energy and his eyes….. His eyes were inhumanly glowing blue. He took a step towards the krogan who stepped back a little.

"You…. You killed her. You will die." He said coldly. With one swift move he was standing nose to nose with the krogan. The krogan Battlemaster gulped in fear. John grabbed the krogan with one hand and lifted him off his feet easily. Everyone's eyes widened more. John raised his hand in a fist and then he punched the krogan in his stomach. His punch was so powerful that his hand went right through his stomach. The krogan's eyes widened in pain and then his eyes closed slowly as he died. John threw the huge body of the krogan on the ground easily. He turned slowly towards his teammates who were watching him with their mouths wide open. Then the dark energy around his body slowly faded away, his eyes turned normal. Then he slumped to the ground and didn't move. They all hurried towards him. Garrus got to him first. He checked John and said, "He is only unconscious. Wrex can you carry him?"

Wrex nodded and lifted John's body gently over his shoulder. "Joker status!" Ashley barked in comm.

"ETA 1 minute!" Joker replied.

"Let's get out from here. The whole place is caving in." Liara said as she helped Tali who was still struggling with her face-plate.

 **LOCATION UNKNOWN**

A man sat on a chair in a dark room puffing on his cigar. The walls of the room were made of glass and through the glass a huge star could be seen. The room of the door whooshed open and a woman walked inside.

The man spoke without looking back towards the woman, "It's good that you came soon Miranda. Humanity is in danger."

"What do you mean, sir?" Miranda asked.

"The footage we secured of Sovereign, tells only one thing. Sovereign is nothing but a Reaper."

Miranda's eyes widened. "Shepard has been sent to stop Saren but he is just one man. He can't do this alone. He will need our help even if the Alliance isn't ready to accept our assistance."

"Sir, what do you intend to do?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing at this moment. But when he needs help you must assist him without compromising your identity. So, be prepared. Here see this footages."

Few images of Sovereign appeared along with the human husks. Miranda watched the images carefully. "What are these creatures?" She asked.

"They were humans being indoctrinated by the Reapers."

"Sir, I will need assistance."

"Permission granted."

Miranda nodded. The Illusive Man continued, "Shepard is our last hope. We cannot lose him. See to it Miranda."

"Yes, sir."

 _ **A/N: I cannot believe I wrote down another. Wow! Your reviews are really helping. Thanks a lot! Enjoy! And review as always. :P**_


	11. The connection

"Take him to the medical bay." Dr. Chakwas said urgently. Wrex gently laid the unconscious form of John on the bed. "What happened to him?" Dr. Chakwas asked the squad. She started preparing the machine to scan his body for injuries.

"By the Goddess it was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of. He tried to protect me from a krogan Battlemaster. But the krogan hit him with an unknown substance and next second we knew he was shaking on the ground. The krogan was mocking us but in the next minute the Commander was up on his feet and….." Liara was cut off by Ashley.

"His whole body was glowing with biotic energy and his eyes….. they weren't even human. He fucking lifted a krogan with one hand as if that krogan was a toy and punched him through his stomach. And he mentioned someone being killed….. Some woman."

 _Oh no! It must be her. But she wasn't there with him. This only explains that whatever he was hit with, made him saw his worst nightmare and somehow he lost control. But still….._ Dr. Chakwas thought.

"He was stronger than a krogan at that time. Much stronger." Wrex added.

"After he killed the krogan he turned normal and then he collapsed on the ground." Garrus added and looked at Tali who was being treated by another doctor.

Dr. Chakwas didn't have any words to explain because she had no idea what this means because she knew the Commander for a long time and she also knew that he has no biotic implants and he didn't show any kind of biotic abilities in all those years. But the problem wasn't only that. She has never heard of someone getting almost 30 times stronger suddenly because of biotics. She looked towards the blue asari standing there with concerned eyes.

"Dr. Liara T'Soni, I presume?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Please call me Liara." The blue asari said.

"Liara can you explain what you saw…. I mean how could he use biotics? He has no implants. I am asking you this, because asaris have the best knowledge about biotics." Dr. Chakwas said.

"I am sorry. I don't have any kind of idea." Liara said.

"Will he be okay?" Ashley asked with concern.

"According to my scanner he has a fractured rib, nothing more. There is no sign of any kind of toxins inside his body either. But his brain activity is off the charts again and this time his pulse rate is rising. It's getting at dangerous level." Dr. Chakwas murmured tensely. She ordered them to evacuate the med bay. Tali also left after getting her helmet fixed. They all remained outside the med bay watching their Commander through the glass. Kaidan was also there.

"This is the second time he emitted biotics." Kaidan said.

"Second time?" Ashley asked surprised. "He did this before?"

"No not like this. You didn't notice on Eden Prime. I caught a glimpse of his eyes glowing in Eden Prime when we first saw the abominations. At that time I thought it was a trick of the light but now…." Kaidan explained. He looked towards the others and saw that everyone was looking at him with shocked expressions on their faces. At that moment Dr. Chakwas came out from the med-bay.

"Lieutenant, tell Joker to head towards Citadel. Things are not looking good." Dr. Chakwas said to Kaidan.

"At once, Doctor." He hurried away towards the bridge to inform Joker.

"What happened to him, Doctor?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Dr. Chakwas said sadly.

[/\\]

"Admiral we have an emergency call for you from the Normandy."

"Forward it to my private channel." Hannah replied.

She took the call in her room. "Hannah?" Dr. Chakwas voice sounded tense.

"Karin? Why are you calling me? Is everything okay?" Hannah asked with concern.

"No. Your son is not okay. Something happened to him and I don't know what. He is unconscious for over an hour." Chakwas replied.

"What do you mean something happened? Is he being shot?" Hannah asked urgently.

"No. He is not injured… at least physically. I informed Huerta hospital, we are on our way to Citadel."

"What happened to my son Karin?" Hannah asked a little loudly.

"I don't know. I can't explain everything to you now. I will explain once I reach Citadel."

"I will be there." Hannah ended the transmission.

[/\\]

"Everyone ready? This will be a simple operation. Your objective is to distract them. I will do the rest." Miranda said.

"Yes, mam." Her team nodded.

"Miss Lawson interrupted an incoming call from SSV Normandy to Admiral Shepard."

"Very well. Let's hear it."

The operative did as he was ordered.

" _Karin? Why are you calling me? Is everything okay?"_

" _No. Your son is not okay. Something happened to him and I don't know what. He is unconscious for over an hour."_

" _What do you mean something happened? Is he being shot?"_

" _No. He is not injured… at least physically. I informed Huerta hospital, we are on our way to Citadel."_

" _What happened to my son Karin?"_

" _I don't know. I can't explain everything to you now. I will explain once I reach Citadel."_

" _I will be there."_

"The Commander is down?" All of the operative's eyes widened in shock.

"It seems so." Miranda replied without any emotion. So, here is the plan. "They will let the doctors enter the Normandy to bring the Commander to the hospital. I will disguise myself as a doctor and enter the Normandy. You will distract the squad."

They all nodded in understanding.

[/\\]

The Normandy arrived at one of the docks of Citadel. The press immediately reached there as the news of Commander Shepard being down spread like a wild fire. The entire Normandy team was busy trying to keep the reporters at bay to let the doctors enter. The doctors got inside the Normandy and reached their patient but no one observed one woman got separated from the remaining doctors. She sneaked inside the elevator, hacked the Commander's cabin door and planted a bug. She exited the room quietly and took the elevator down to the med-bay. She reached near the glass of the med-bay and watched the Commander's unconscious form lying on the bed and doctors operating on him. She lingered there for few moments because she was feeling somewhat strange inside her heart after seeing him from so close. Something inside her was telling that she knew that handsome face, somehow.

She gathered her thoughts. _What are you doing Miranda? What is wrong with you?_ She got out from her thoughts and quietly left the Normandy without getting noticed. But if she remained a few seconds longer there she would have noticed the Commander was stirring.

[/\\]

"I think he is waking up." One of the doctor said.

"Thank god. This is a good sign." Another doctor commented. At the next second the doctors all jumped back in surprise as John sat up suddenly on his bed. His eyes were wide and he was looking everywhere around him as if he was trying to find someone.

"Commander are you feeling okay?" One of the doctor questioned but got no answer.

Dr. Chakwas requested the other doctors to leave when they were sure that John is okay. She sat down on the bed beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"John… you okay?" She asked softly.

"She came here didn't she?" He asked suddenly.

"Who are you talking about? Your mother is…"

"No. Not my mother. Miri was here. Wasn't she doctor?" He asked his voice almost pleading her to answer that he is right.

"John….. She is not here." She said trying to calm him down.

"No… no she was here. I know." He argued.

After that Dr. Chakwas calmed him down to see the fact that the woman he loves couldn't be here in the Normandy. It was impossible. He slowly realized that the doctor was right.

"I…. I don't know what's happening to me Doctor. I….."

"What exactly happened, John?"

"The krogan hit me with some strange gas and next I saw him killing her and then I can't remember anything." He said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Am I going crazy, doc?"

"No. Sometimes things like this happens to us because of mental pressure. You always think about her too much and you are doing this since you were 16. You just need to relax. How are you feeling now?"

"Too tired."

"Then sleep. The doctors will come for another examination."

He lay down and immediately drifted into sleep. Dr. Chakwas looked at his sleeping form sadly. She could only imagine the emotional pain this young man is feeling all the time whom she knew for almost 14 years and who was also like a son to her. She sighed and left the med-bay to get some food for herself.

 _ **A/N: There you go. Managed to get another chapter down. Over 1000 views already this month? Wow! Please keep on reviewing everyone who reads. As I said before it motivates me a lot.**_ __


	12. Help is on the way

"Ten more seconds out there and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference." Joker said through comm. Ashley rolled her eyes although she had a bit of smile on her face.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara asked John in surprise.

"It's a coping mechanism. You'll get used to it." John answered smiling.

"I see it must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander." Liara said embarrassed her eyes towards the floor. Then she looked up towards John with gratefulness in her eyes, "I am grateful to you, Commander. You saved my life back there and not just from the volcano. Those geth and especially that krogan would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren. The krogan could've killed us all, hadn't for you. You saved us all."

"Listen Liara. I may have somehow defeated that krogan but I blacked out in the end. If I was alone I would've died. Only because of my team I am still alive. This is what a team is built so you can help each other out. And all of you are not only my team-mates, you all are my friends." John said.

Liara smiled, "I understand, Shepard."

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?" Kaidan asked Liara.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. This is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." Liara explained.

 _Past fifty years! Wow!_ John thought, although he knew an asari lives for almost a thousand year. "How old are you?" He asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I'm only a hundred and six." Liara answered.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age." Ashley said watching the Commander from the corner of her eyes. _I wish he looked at me the way I want him to._ She thought but she never saw any hint of affection for her in his eyes.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours. But among the asari, I am barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans." Liara sighed.

"Did your research turn up anything interesting?" John asked.

"What is interesting is what I did not turn up. There is remarkably little archaeological evidence of the Protheans and even less that might explain why they disappeared. It is almost as if someone didn't want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues." Liara explained.

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" John asked again.

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, but I know I am right!" Liara said confidently.

"I can sense there is more…" Garrus said.

"Yes. The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed on top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements – the mass relays and the Citadel – are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." Liara explained.

Everyone listened to Liara silently. John realized it all came down to one thing – The Reapers. They were behind the extinction of the civilizations. "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers." He said to Liara.

"The…. The Reapers? But I have never heard of – How do you know this? What evidence do you have?" Liara asked confused.

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." John said as his voice trailed off. He could still remember what he saw next. The vision of her getting dead. He got out his trance when Liara started to speak again.

"Vision? Yes…. That makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked the Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon – even a badly damaged one – is worth almost any risk." She said excitedly. Then she looked towards John curiously. Noticing her stare, he asked, "What?"

"The beacons were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander." Liara said looking towards John with admiration in her eyes. Ashley noticed it and her eyes narrowed in jealousy. "This isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit." She interrupted.

"Of course. You are right. I am sorry." Liara apologized. "My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren."

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along." John said.

"Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on." Liara said.

"And her biotics might come in handy, when the fighting starts." Wrex said.

"Good to have you on the team, Liara." John smiled at her.

"Thank you, Commander. I am very gratef….." John quickly caught her from falling when she staggered. "Whoa! I am afraid I am feeling a little light-headed." She said not meeting John's eyes. One of her hand was on his chest and the other one was gripping his biceps. She could sense that how close she is to him and most of all she liked it. _What is this feelings?_ She thought. But she didn't realize that her cheeks were turning pink.

"Liara, you should go to Dr. Chakwas. Your face is turning red." John said with concern since he didn't realize that Liara was blushing.

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept?" Kaidan asked.

Liara pushed herself away from John. "It is probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Prothean's true fate. I need some time to process all this." She said, still blushing. "Still it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me the chance to think things over. Are we finished here, Commander?"

"We can talk again after you've seen the doctor. The rest of you…. Dismissed!" John replied.

Liara left the room along with the others.

"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker said through comm.

"Patch them through, Joker." The Council's image appeared in the room after Joker linked the communication.

"We've received your report, Commander. I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy." The asari councilor said.

"I assume you are taking the necessary security precautions?" The turian councilor asked.

"Liara is on our side. The geth were trying to kill her." John said.

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter." The asari councilor said.

"Maybe she doesn't know." The salarian councilor said.

"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she could become a traitor." The turian councilor added.

"At least the mission was a success." The salarian councilor commented.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary, Shepard?" The turian councilor asked with slight irritation in his voice.

"The geth were crawling all over those ruins. We were lucky to make it out alive." John answered.

"Of course, Commander. The mission must always take priority." The Salarian councilor nodded in understanding.

"Good luck, Commander. Remember we are all counting on you." The asari councilor said before ending the transmission.

"Commander, message coming in. Patching it through." Joker said.

"Commander, I'm glad you were in the area. We've got an emergency situation, and you're the only one I trust to get the job done." Admiral Hackett said.

"How can I help, Admiral?" John asked.

"Biotic fanatics have hit a medical research station with psychotropic drug. The drugs have temporarily driven researchers crazy, and the biotics are effectively using them as human shields." Hackett informed.

"I'll take the biotics down, Admiral, and I'll try to limit the casualties." John said.

"I know you will, Commander. I'm sending you the station coordinates now. Fifth Fleet out." The transmission ended.

[==]

 **LOCATION UNKNOWN**

 _So they are going to stop that drug from spreading? As far I read and heard about the Commander, he won't fire on the civilians even to defend himself. He is too idealistic. He needs someone to watch his back._ _I trust no one else in keeping him safe. If Shepard dies whatever hope the galaxy has against the Reapers will be gone. Time to take the matter in my hands now._ Miranda thought.

She got up from her seat and walked inside the bathroom to freshen up. She doesn't know what will happen next. She even doesn't know whether she will survive the mission or not. She wasn't worried about sacrificing herself for the sake of the galaxy but she was sad that if she dies she won't see _him_ ever again. And there are other matters also. When she was near the unconscious form of the Commander in the med-bay of the Normandy, she felt something which she couldn't explain. She felt some sort of connection which she hadn't felt for years since….. She was with _him_ – her John. This only confuses her more. She didn't knew the Commander at all because they have never met. But still….. These feelings is confusing her more and more. After returning from the Normandy she did a background check on him. His father died protecting his family and his mother is none other than Admiral Hannah Shepard. When he grew up he joined Alliance and the N7 training program. Later he earned the Star of Terra for his accomplishment in battlefield. But these were the facts that everyone knows. There was nothing suspicious about it except that there is no record about his childhood. That made her curious. She tried to dig in the extranet but found nothing. It seems that the information regarding his childhood is omitted from being recorded on purpose. But now she is planning to join his squad and after that she will solve the mystery of his childhood. She must for her own sake. She sighed and exited the bathroom but something fell from her pocket. She bent down to pick it up and then she opened it. Inside was two pictures. It was her and the other picture was of her one and only love, anchor, life and her world. She caressed his face on the image as a single tear leaked from her eyes and dropped on his picture as old memories filled her mind. Then she composed herself because she had a mission to accomplish. If she fails this mission then along with everyone he will also die and she cannot allow that, until her last breath. Her destination – Feros.

[==]

 _ **A/N: Next chapter - will Miranda join the squad? Well let me know what you guys want. Should she join the Normandy or not? Let me know by PM's.**_ __


	13. Unexpected Ally

**LOCATION: FEROS, ZHU'S HOPE**

"Commander. My name is David al Talaqani. We saw your ship. Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately." Said one of the guards at the docks of Feros.

"Who is Fai Dan?" John asked.

"He's our leader. He needs your help to prepare for the geth. They're making another push. Please. Up the stairs past the freighter." David replied. No sooner than he replied a rocket hit him on his back and he was blown apart. The squad immediately jumped to cover.

"The entire place is crawling with geth." Ashley said.

"Nice and easy people. Don't rush." John said from behind his cover.

The geth were using barriers to protect themselves. Their bullets could not penetrate the barriers at once. The path was narrow which made the fight more difficult since they couldn't flank their enemy.

"Scoped and down." Garrus commented after taking down a geth with his sniper.

"Liara create a singularity." John ordered.

Liara nodded in understanding and her body glowed with dark energy. She created a singularity just behind the geth where they were standing behind their barriers. They started to flow in the air immediately from the force of the singularity which exposed them to John's team. They took the floating geth down immediately by heavy fire. But there were more.

"Nice work, Liara." John said. Liara smiled in return.

Tali sent a combat drone to distract the geth standing far away with a rocket launcher. Using the distraction they pushed forward and Garrus getting the line of shot took it out by a single head-shot. Ashley threw a grenade towards the remaining geth who were hiding behind a cover. The explosion of the grenade killed two of them and the other flew away and smashed into the wall by the force. Kaidan finished it off with several shots from his pistol. The squad pushed forward and found the stairs that David mentioned. On the stairs they were ambushed by the geth stalkers. These particular geth are very fast and could stick to any surface. But the stalkers were no match for the John's team. The stalkers were dead before they could attack. After finishing them off the team reached the area where the colonists took shelter from the geth attack. John saw many injured colonists lying on the ground untreated. He indicated his squad to give them first-aid because he couldn't see them suffering like that. The area showed evidence of utter destruction. He moved forward and found the leader of the colonists – Fai Dan.

"Oh, Commander. I'm glad they finally sent somebody to help us." Fai Dan said in relief.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" The female colonist standing with Fai Dan spat out angrily looking at John and his team.

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan warned.

"Sorry, Commander." Fai Dan apologized. "Everyone's on edge since….." Fai Dan couldn't finish his sentence as more geth appeared.

"We've got geth in the tower." Arcelia said.

"Leave it to us." John said readying his assault rifle.

John and his team killed all the geth in no time. "Now we can update Fai Dan and get a vehicle safely out of the Normandy. The geth base is our next objective." Liara said.

"Let's inform Fai Dan." John said.

 **[==]**

"The tower is secure. Thanks to you, Commander." Fai Dan said with gratefulness in his tone.

"I'm just glad your colony is safe." John said.

"I appreciate your concern…. And your efforts against the geth." Fai Dan said.

"They may have been slowed, but they'll come back. They always come back." Arcelia said.

"Help me find the geth and you'll all get out of here alive." John said.

"What do they want?" Ashley asked.

"If you want answers, go ask them yourselves." Arcelia spat looking at John.

"Why you ungrateful woman….." Ashley began but was stopped by John.

"We don't know what they're after. They came, they attacked us. That's all we know. The main base is at the ExoGeni headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers." Fai Dan said.

"What's ExoGeni?" Kaidan asked.

"It's the company most of us worked before the attacks. They fund this colony." Alicia answered.

"The skyway leads directly to ExoGeni headquarters. You can't miss it. Of course there's an army of geth between here and there." Fai Dan explained.

"Why I am not surprised…." Tali commented.

"We'll get going then." John said and contacted Joker for the vehicle. The team followed him except Ashley who was lingering behind. She was glaring at Arcelia and was ready to punch her in the face. _How could that woman be ungrateful and rude to the man who saved not only her ass but the entire colony?_ She thought. She walked forward towards Arcelia and stood with her nose to nose. "You disrespect the Commander again, I will break your face woman!" Ashley threatened her, turned back and followed the team towards the Normandy. Arcelia just stood there with wide eyes, dumbfounded.

 **[==]**

The team took an elevator to the Prothean skyway where they found two colonists fighting against the geth assault drones. Garrus and Kaidan took care of the drones with their sniper before they could do any kind of damage. After taking down the drones they boarded a Mako which was there.

"Shepard, don't you drive this time." Garrus said with fear in his eyes.

"Why shouldn't he drive?" Liara asked confused.

"Well T'Soni you didn't saw his driving, that's why you didn't know." Garrus replied.

"Not now Garrus. Let's get going." John said.

"Oh no! Not again!" Tali pleaded. Kaidan sneakered hearing watching their horrified faces… well except Tali and Liara's. Tali's face couldn't be seen because of her mask and Liara just looked confused. Ashley just gulped and Garrus' eyes were wide with fear. Kaidan shook his head and took a seat beside Liara.

"All right, heading for the geth base. Let's take it to them." Ashley said trying to lighten the situation. When the door opened in front of them, John saw a geth drop ship flew above them and drop geth shock troopers and armature in the squad's path. The geth armature started to attack the Mako from distance. John dodged one of their attack narrowly and for avoiding the fire he had to make the Mako jump over an obstacle. As the Mako fell on the ground it gave a violent jerk.

"Ow!" Garrus said as his head collided with the roof of the Mako. Garrus turned left to see that Liara was also rubbing her head. He turned to Kaidan and Tali who were both seated smugly with their helmets on. Ashley was beside John handling the gun. She was also wearing her helmet. Garrus almost face-palmed himself. Almost. He should have learnt from his experience then he wouldn't have felt the pain on his head. He lifted his helmet and placed it securely over his helmet. Garrus could see Kaidan was smirking at him and he could hear Tali's giggles. Next he saw that Liara's eyes also turned wide as the vehicle gave another violent jerk. Now, he smirked under his helmet at the young asari's expression.

"Commander, there is a camp out there. They seemed to be the survivors of the geth attack." Ashley said when they entered another door.

"Let's go and take a look." John said."

 **[==]**

When the team approached the camp everyone was on high alert but when they realized they were not the geth, the survivors relaxed.

"Relax, Jeong. They're obviously not geth." An old woman said to an Asian man.

The man named Jeong still didn't relax though. He watched John and his team with suspicion in his eyes. "Get back, Juliana." Jeong said to the woman. He turned towards the team and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Commander Shepard. We are here to remove your geth problem." John answered.

"You see? You worry too much." Juliana said.

"And you trust too easily, Juliana." Jeong shot back.

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face. I thought we were the only humans left on this planet." Juliana said.

"Fai Dan and some members of Zhu's Hope are still alive." John said to them.

Juliana turned sharply towards Jeong, "I thought you said they were all dead."

"I said they were 'probably' all dead." Jeong defended himself.

"They're surviving but the geth really hit them hard." Garrus said.

"We know what that's like. Those damn synthetics are relentless." Juliana said frustrated.

"Are we getting closer to their base?" Garrus asked.

"You're almost there. They're holed up in the ExoGeni headquarters, just a bit further down the skyway." Juliana explained.

"Those headquarters are private property, soldier. Remove the geth and nothing else." Jeong said sternly.

"I don't like that man." Ashley whispered to Kaidan.

"I don't either. He is damn too irritating." Kaidan whispered back.

"Relax. I'm not interested in your company secrets." John said and turned to leave but Juliana stopped him. "Commander, before you go… My daughter, Lizbeth. She's missing…"

"They shouldn't waste time poking around." Jeong said.

That sentence broke down all of John's patience. He knew the pain of losing a loved one. He grabbed the front of Jeong's shirt and pulled him towards him with one hand. "She's not talking with you or burdening you with anything. Don't tell me what I should do, you understand? And shut your mouth or I will do it for you and I'm sure you won't like it." John threatened. Jeong gulped and nodded his head in understanding. John let go of him and pushed him away.

"Way to go, Commander." Ashley whispered to no one.

"Thank you, Commander for shutting his mouth. He is damn too… Anyways, my daughter is out there and I know that she is still alive." Juliana said.

"Where is your daughter, Juliana?" John asked softly.

"She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came. Please, Commander bring my daughter back. I have no one else except her." Juliana pleaded with tear filled eyes.

John walked forward towards the elderly woman and took her hands in his. "I will do everything in my power to bring her back, if she is still alive." He assured Juliana.

"Thank you, Commander. Thank you." She said with trembled voice.

"Stay bunkered down here until I find out what the geth are after." John said to the survivors after stepping away from Juliana.

"We will, Commander." Juliana said.

 **[==]**

After leaving the camp the team took the Mako again and drove towards the ExoGeni building.

"Why the geth are so much interested in that particular research center?" Garrus asked.

"Don't know. Maybe the geth are after what they are researching in there…." Tali said.

"That can be the reason behind the frequent geth attacks." Liara said.

"Whatever may be the reason, we need to take them down." Kaidan said.

"You are right Lieutenant." Tali agreed.

After driving for some time and killing several geth forces in their way, they reached at the end of the road. "Looks like we have arrived." John said.

"It seems so." Liara said.

The team exited the vehicle to see the utter destruction at that place. "The geth really hit them hard." Garrus said.

"Yeah." Kaidan agreed observing his surroundings.

Suddenly a gun shot missed Ashley by inches. Instinctively all of them pointed their gun at the direction from which the shot came. There was a young woman standing with a pistol in her hand. She looked scared and nervous. "I…. I am sorry. I thought you were geth or one of those varren." She said.

"You're safe now. But why were you here in the first place?" John said holstering his weapon.

"It's my own fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed to back up data. Next thing I knew, the geth ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped. I tried to get out, but the way was blocked and I was surrounded by the geth." She explained.

"How did you survive the geth?" John asked curios.

"A woman saved me. She came out of nowhere and took down all the geth by a single EMP blast. She questioned me about our research data and left me there." She explained.

"Where did that woman go?" John asked.

"She went towards that geth ship." She answered.

"Look. I'm here for the geth. It's very important that I find out what they're after." John said.

"I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing they're here for the Thorian." She replied.

"Thorian? I've never heard of such a thing." Liara said.

"It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was studying it." She explained.

"Where is the Thorian?" John asked.

"I cannot help you because of those geth crawling around. Look, we need to get out of here, past that field." She pleaded.

"Do you know how we can shut it down?" Tali asked.

"No, not exactly. But I think the geth ship is powering it. I've noticed the geth laying power cables everywhere. You could follow those cables, but there's geth all over the place. But here take this, this will grant you access to any locked doors." She warned them.

"We will get going then." John said.

"Commander… have you seen an elderly woman on your way?" She asked softly with hope.

"Your mother is alive Lizbeth and I promised her that I will take you back to her in one piece." John said.

"She…. she's alive?" Lizbeth wanted to make sure that she heard correct.

"Yeah she is okay and waiting for your return." John said. Lizbeth smiled in relief. "I will hide in a hole somewhere, until you come back."

"No. Get in the Mako and hide there." John gave her the access to get inside the Mako.

"You don't have to tell me twice. Thank you, Commander." She said and ran towards the Mako.

As soon as she left the entire team was surrounded by varrens. But to them they were no threat at all. Liara took care of few of the varrens with her biotics and the rest were gunned down by the others.

"Where did these varrens came from and here of this place?" Garrus asked.

"It seems a bit strange to find varrens here." Tali said.

"We should keep our eyes open." John said and started moving forward.

They found some steps and while climbing it they heard a krogan cursing someone. When they reached the upper level they saw the krogan was standing in front of a VI which was refusing to give him answers. Sensing their presence the krogan Battlemaster attacked them. This krogan seemed as powerful as the one they encountered during in Therum but this time they were ready. They took down the krogan with perfect tactics and combination of biotic, tech power and bullets.

"What was a krogan doing here?" Kaidan asked.

"This krogan was one of Saren's servants. There can be more." John said as he approached the VI.

"What's going on here?" John asked the VI.

"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor." It responded.

John used Lizbeth's ID but the VI still responded the same way. "Lizbeth's ID should have worked." John said.

"Not if someone hacked it and disabled all the communications." Tali said.

"Can you fix it Tali?" John asked.

"I don't know Shepard. Even if I could, it will take time. Whoever did this, damaged the entire system." Tali answered.

"We don't have much time." Garrus said. John agreed.

"Then we should move forward." John said.

 **[==]**

They reached the geth ship at last after taking down few enhanced krogans and many geth in their way. The claws of the geth ship came through the wall and from its claws huge cables came out.

"The geth must have anchored their ship to the side of the building with these claws." Garrus observed.

"Indelicate, perhaps, but very efficient. How do we cut the power if it's coming from the ship?" Liara asked.

"Could the ship be dislodged? Maybe there's a flaw in one of the other claws we could exploit." Garrus offered.

"Let's move forward and find out." John said. They moved forward and found the next claw of the ship and a lot of geth foot soldiers. They were able to take down the geth without any problem.

"I fear we do no not have the needed gear to take down this claw. We will have to keep looking." Tali said.

They moved forward again and heard gun fire.

"Gun fire…" Liara said.

"More survivors?" Ashley asked.

"Let's find out." John said as he rushed forward.

There they found a woman with her back towards them working on a console and several dead bodies of the geth lay at her feet. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whirled around and pointed her SMG at them. When she realized that they are not the geth she holstered her gun and turned back to resume working on the console.

"Who's that?" Ashley said.

"Must be the woman who saved Lizbeth." John said as she walked forward towards the woman. He observed the woman carefully. She had short black hair, dark skin and her height was almost as of himself. She didn't looked at him though even after detecting his presence. She continued typing on the console.

"What are you doing?" John asked.

"Trying to cut that claw off." She said.

"Who are….." John's words were cut off as something blasted near him. The force of it threw both of them away from the console.

He looked up from his position on the ground to find that more geth arrived. John's team wasted no time firing on the geth. But they missed one which fired a rocket towards the woman. John saw it and he lunged forward and took the woman down with him on the ground. The rocket missed them by inches and impacted on the wall next to them. Debris flew and fell on them. John protected the woman with his own body. Garrus took the geth rocket trooper with a head-shot from his sniper. John pushed away the debris from over his body and looked towards the woman to ask whether she was hurt.

"Miss, are you….." John words stopped when he saw her eyes. Those blue eyes….. He knew those eyes. They belonged to the girl he loved – Miranda Lawson. The woman was also looking towards his eyes and they were both caught in some kind of trance. Ashley observed that her Commander was lying on top of that unknown woman looking towards her face. Their face was too close to each other for her liking. She saw that even when they approached the two they didn't even acknowledged their presence. Watching this her blood boiled.

"Shepard…. You okay?" Garrus asked placing his hand on John's back. That got John out of his trance. He looked towards Garrus with an expression as if he has no idea where he is at the moment. "I…. yeah, I am okay." He said and pulled himself off from top of that woman's body. Liara helped the woman to get up on her feet. It seems her leg got injured somehow from the impact. She unsteadily got herself up on her feet and walked towards the console again. With few strokes of her finger a huge blast door came down on top of the geth claw destroying it completely which resulted the geth ship to get detached from the wall. Liara didn't say anything but she observed that strange woman with keen eyes.

"Are you the one who saved Lizbeth down in the lab?" John asked.

"Yeah." She replied.

"And you are….." Ashley asked.

The woman looked towards John and answered, "Alicia Martinez. I was among the top members of the ExoGeni research lab. But they dismissed me a few months ago."

"Why?" John asked.

"I didn't know why at that time but now I know." Alicia said and then she played an audio log on her omni tool. The audio log was about the Thorian. It explained that the Thorian can infect and control other organisms including humans and it also revealed that 85% of the test subjects were infected during that time. The ExoGeni researchers knew their people were getting infected but still they carried on.

"This explains their strange behavior." Liara said.

"Well done Alicia. We appreciate your help. Tell me one thing though. Did you hacked that VI down there?" John asked.

"Yes. I saw those krogans, so I took a necessary precaution." Alicia answered.

"Well done! Our way out should be clear now. We can go address this Thorian issue." Liara said.

"Keep your guard up. There still might be a few geth inside the base." John said to his team.

They were about to move when they heard Joker's voice in comm. " _I repeat, Normandy to shore party. Are you reading? Anyone there? Normandy to shore party. Come on Commander, talk to me!"_

"I hear you Joker. What's going on over there?" John asked.

" _We are in lockdown here, Commander. Something happened to the colonists. They're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way inside the ship. They're freaking out!_ "

"They can't do any real damage. We're on our way back. Just hold your position." John said.

" _Uh… yeah. Okay. Well, we'll just wait right here for you, Commander_."

"All right people, you know the drill. Let's move out." John said.

"Wait, Commander." Alicia stopped them. "I want to help."

"Are you sure Alicia?" John asked.

"Positive and I think you know that I am well versed in combat. I won't let you down, Commander." Alicia said.

"Yeah, I saw that. Well fall in line." John replied as they turned back towards the place where they left Lizbeth.

 **[==]**

 _ **A/N: Well, another chapter done. I hope you enjoy it and as always please review. Up next the Thorian**_.


	14. The Legend comes true

**FEW MINUTES LATER**

"So what's your story Alicia?" John asked.

"There's nothing much to tell. I worked in the ExoGeni for years. But one day things were getting suspicious. I tried to pry on my superiors but I couldn't find anything at all. After few days I was kicked out from there. I asked them what I had done but they gave me no explanation. They just told me I wasn't needed there anymore." Alicia explained.

"You knew nothing about their experiment on the Thorian?" Garrus asked.

"No. I was kicked out before they started experimenting on it. But I came back one day in the hope to get my job back and saw some unusual behavior among the workers. Later I learned that the Thorian has the ability to infect and mind control organics. I tried to get some evidence but I was caught. They tried to use me for the experiment but I escaped, somehow." Alicia replied.

"You were just a worker. How did you learn to fight like that?" Ashley asked with suspicious eyes.

"Aside from working here I took some combat training, for safety." Alicia said.

"You did good job out there, Alicia. We couldn't have done it without you." John appreciated her with a smile.

"I…. It was my job, Commander." Alicia stuttered slightly.

"And you do damn good job. Thanks." John said. The rest of the team gave her appreciative smiles except Ashley. They resumed walking forward but no one saw that Alicia's cheeks turned pink when John appreciated her. That's why she stuttered. Under the disguise of Alicia, there was Miranda Lawson who hadn't been appreciated in anything she had done. No one encouraged her except one boy and now this man walking in front of her. _His eyes and his smile, they are exactly like John. Could Commander Shepard be her John?_ She thought. Whether she was appreciated or not because of her work never mattered to her over these years she worked for Cerberus but now…. She stuttered and she could feel the old Miri, which she kept hidden from everybody is starting to surface again and Commander Shepard is responsible for it, solely. She couldn't help but felt that something is special about this man. What is that she didn't know… and that frustrated her to no means.

 **[==]**

"There you are!" Lizbeth said when she saw the Commander is back. Then her eyes fell on the dark skinned woman among the squad. "You!" Lizbeth exclaimed. "I cannot thank you and the Commander enough for saving my life. First you and then the Commander." Lizbeth said holding Alicia's hand in hers. Alicia gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand in return.

"Commander, we should get out from here. I don't think this place is safe." Lizbeth said.

"I need some answers before we leave. You tell me all the details about the Thorian. You knew and you didn't tell me." John said.

"I…. I was afraid. I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me, told me I'd be next. When the geth attacked, I stayed behind to send a message to Colonial Affairs. I tried to call them where to find the Thorian, but the power cut before I could send the message. I….. I never meant for this to happen." Lizbeth admitted with her head lowered.

"You did what you could. I'll help them if you can tell me where to find the Thorian." John said.

"The Thorian is underneath Zhu's Hope, but the entrance is blocked. The colonists covered it with the freighter just before the geth attacked." Lizbeth said.

"But why are the geth after the Thorian? What could Saren want with it?" John asked Lizbeth.

"Well, it does have unique mind-control capabilities. That's what ExoGeni was interested in." Lizbeth said."

At that time John heard joker's voice in comm. "What is it Joker?"

"We're getting a lot of geth comm chatter. Looks like they headed your way." Joker informed.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Joker. You heard the man, let's move out." John said.

 **[==]**

 **AT THE CAMP….**

"You can't do this Jeong!" Juliana shouted.

"Everyone shut up! Let me think!" Jeong shouted back.

John and his team along with Lizbeth was watching the whole scene. "What's going on?" Lizbeth whispered.

"You won't get away with this." Juliana reasoned.

"Get her out of here!" Jeong ordered the guards. One of the guards came forward and grabbed Juliana and tried to drag her away from there. Lizbeth saw enough. She left her cover and marched among the chaos. "Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" She shouted attracting everyone's attention.

"Lizbeth!" Juliana shouted in relief. She freed herself from the guard and came rushing towards her daughter engulfing her in a tight hug.

"I am okay, mother." Lizbeth soother her mother.

"Damn it! Come out where I can see you! All of you!" Jeong shouted in frustration.

John realized there was no other way than to show themselves. But from the corner from his eyes he saw that Alicia already crept inside behind the guards who had their guns trained on their direction. John signaled his team to leave the cover and show themselves. They slowly walked forward and approached Jeong.

"Hah, Shepard. Damn it! I knew it was too much to hope that the geth would kill you. I found some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni database. I know what you did during the Blitz, but your heroics aren't needed here." Jeong said with sarcasm.

"What do you think you are doing, Jeong?" Shepard asked.

"Communications are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged." Jeong said.

"This is a human colony, Jeong. You can't just repurpose us." Lizbeth said.

Jeong turned towards Lizbeth, "It's not just you. There's something far more valuable than a few colonists."

"You're after the one unique thing Feros has: The Thorian." John concluded.

"The what?" Juliana asked confused.

"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope." Lizbeth answered her mother.

"You won't get away with this Jeong." Juliana said.

"So you keep saying. But nobody's going to miss a few colonists. I am not letting this opportunity go." Jeong said. With his signal his guards turned their guns on John and his team. The team was trained their guns on the guards. Within blink of an eye John and his team shot at the guards hands forcing them to drop their weapons. Jeong realized that he was outnumbered. He surprised his opponents by pulling out a pistol and grabbed Juliana, placing the gun at the side of her head.

"Let me go, or she dies." Jeong threatened. "Put your guns down. Now!" He yelled.

John complied and his team followed. But Jeong didn't know someone crept behind him. Alicia delivered a blow to his right hand causing his pistol to drop. But Jeong surprised her by turning quickly and grabbing her throat. She groaned from the pressure on her throat. John started to move forward to help her but she surprised him by quickly turning on her spot and slamming Jeong on her back. Jeong groaned in pain as he saw stars in his eyes.

"You okay Alicia?" John asked.

"I am okay, Commander." She replied evenly.

"Thank you, you just saved my life." Juliana said to Alicia.

"She also saved my life in the lab mother." Lizbeth acknowledged.

Juliana's eyes show the gratitude she was feeling. "I cannot thank you enough. God, bless you." She blessed Alicia.

"Thank you." Alicia said with a small smile. Everything was under the control again as the other survivors sighed in relief. But Alicia didn't notice that during her struggle with Jeong one of her most prized possession dropped on the ground from her pocket.

John turned towards Lizbeth. "How do we save the infected colonists? By killing the Thorian?"

"It's a possibility but I'm not sure." Lizbeth said.

"It's worth a try. But I don't know if I can avoid harming the colonists." John said.

"There has to be another way." Lizbeth said.

"I think there's a way to avoid killing the colonists." Juliana said.

"How do we do that?" Alicia asked.

"I think you could safely use a nerve agent to neutralize the colonists. Like a gas grenade." Juliana said.

"I'll try my best. Thanks for the help Juliana." John said.

"Don't mention it Commander. You saved my daughter. I will never forget it." Juliana paused and came towards John. "You are a good man Commander Shepard. Your mother will be so proud of you. If I was your mother I would've." Juliana smiled.

"Thanks." John said with a smile. _I wish another person could was also proud of me._ He thought. Then his eyes caught something on the ground. Curiously he went to check it. It was a locket and he knew that locket because he bought it long ago for his Miri. He picked it up and opened it to be sure. His eyes widened in shock. It was indeed the same locket because inside there was a picture of Miri and his own. His eyes misted as the memories came rushing back. But how did it came here of all places? He couldn't figure that out. She couldn't be here? Could she? But last time when he woke up in the med-bay of the Normandy he felt her presence there and he is also feeling it here for quite a while now. What's happening? If she is here, then why couldn't he see her anywhere? John got lost in his own thoughts about his Miri.

The team left the colonists there. They were about to board the Mako when they felt the absence of their Commander.

"Where's Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"I don't see…. There he is….. What is he doing there?" Ashley said.

"Let me." Kaidan said and he walked towards John.

"Commander. It's time to go." Kaidan said to John. Kaidan was surprised when the Commander turned towards him. The Commander's eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Shepard, what happened?" Kaidan asked concerned.

John already composed himself at that time. "Nothing, let's go. Somehow this place reminded me of an old friend I lost long ago." He replied. When they arrived the Mako Garrus said to John, "This time, I am driving. No arguments, Commander." He gave a turian grin. Everyone expected Shepard to argue but he didn't even acknowledged his teasing. He just entered the Mako and slumped into the back seat closing his eyes.

"What happened to him?" Ashley asked Kaidan.

"He said he got reminded of some past memories which weren't happy." Kaidan shrugged.

Liara and Garrus observed John. They both realized there was something more than he let on. Alicia just looked as the others because she had no clue what caused the Commander's mood to change suddenly. They both took their seats and Garrus started driving the Mako back to the colony but none noticed a single tear fell from their Commander's closed eyes.

 **[==]**

 **ZHU'S HOPE**

As soon as the team left the Mako the colonists started to fire on them. They took cover but didn't return the fire as the enemy were all civilians and under the control of the Thorian. They subdued the civilians with the gas grenades that Juliana provided. But the entire area was swarmed by Thorian creepers. They looked like the human abominations. The team opened fire on them. Tech and biotics attacks combined with bullets took down the creepers for good.

"Looks like the path is safe for us now." Garrus commented.

"Yeah. I cannot see any civilians out there anymore." Tali said.

"What the hell were those things?" Tali asked.

"They were almost like the creatures we encountered on Eden Prime." Kaidan said.

"Let's find the entrance to the underground." John said.

They easily located the underground entrance and made their way inside.

"Okay we will just have to find this thing and put a couple of rounds…" She stopped as her eyes fell on a huge creature before them.

"We will need bigger guns." Liara said.

"This may be problematic….." John said. He watched that the Thorian had many tendrils which was spread all over the place. Those tendrils kept it from falling down into the abyss. But no sooner than the words left his mouth a green asari emerged from inside the mouth of the Thorian and dropped in front of them.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the old growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" The asari said in a strange voice.

"You gave something to Saren. Something I need." John said.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend to the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!" The asari replied.

"Give me back what I need and I'll strike back the one who betrayed you." John said.

"No more the Thorian will listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long." The asari said and attacked them. She was taken down immediately from the joint gun fire but more creepers appeared out of nowhere.

"Cut those tendrils and it will fall down." John said.

They began to fire on the creepers and kept on pushing forward towards the nodes of the Thorian that were attached to the wall. One by one they started to destroy those nodes. A few more asari clones appeared from inside the Thorian. They were also taken down in similar ways in no time. When the last tendril was destroyed the Thorian fell deep into the abyss. After it fell an asari emerged from inside a spore on the wall. She fell down on her knee on the ground and coughed violently. The team kept their guns pointed towards the asari.

"I'm free. I'm free." The asari exclaimed delightfully. Then she looked towards John and said, "I…. I suppose I should thank you for releasing me."

"How did you end up inside that…. thing?" John asked.

"My name is Shiala. I serve….. I served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way." Shiala said.

"Are you saying Saren can control minds?" John enquired.

"Benezia underestimated Saren. As I did. We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of his influence is troubling." Shiala explained.

"Benezia sought to turn the river and was swept away." Liara said.

"Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy. How could one fall under Saren's control?" Alicia asked.

"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks. But in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian, to learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian." Shiala said.

"Saren's pretty quick to betray his own people." Garrus said.

"He was quick to betray the Thorian too. After he had what he wanted, he ordered the geth to destroy all evidence of its existence. Saren knows you are searching for the Conduit. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher." Shiala answered.

"What's the Cipher? And why did Saren need it?" John asked.

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But they were unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied then. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it." Shiala explained.

"So the Thorian taught Saren to think like a Prothean? How?" John asked.

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory – The Cipher – when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught, it simply exists." Shiala said.

"I need that knowledge to stop Saren!" John said urgently.

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren. Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another." She paused and spoke again when her eyes turned black, "Embrace Eternity!"

Shiala began to transfer the knowledge to John's mind. Then she felt something….. Something inside his mind. Her eyes suddenly opened as she was shocked. "It cannot be….." She whispered. "The legend is true indeed." Then she looked towards john with deep respect in her eyes. But her next action shocked everyone. She bent down on one knee and bowed to John. "My life is a success." She again whispered.

"What are you doing?" John asked confused.

"I….. I have given you the Cipher. Now if you let me go, I would like to help the colonists and make amends." Shiala stuttered. Everyone saw that she was crying silently and they were tears of happiness.

"Very well….. You may go. But don't make me regret my decision to let you go." John said.

"You won't regret it Commander. I give you my word." She gave one last bow and left.

"What was that about?" Ashley asked confused as the others. John just shrugged.

 **A/N: Please review. :P**


	15. His confession

**NORMANDY**

"Commander? You…. Look pale. Are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?" Liara voiced her concern. Others were also looking at John with concern evident in their eyes. The reason of their concern was that he just faltered in his steps while returning to the Normandy. He almost fainted.

"I just need some time to let this Cipher do its thing." John answered evenly.

"So, Commander. What was Shiala talking about?" Kaidan asked.

"Yeah, her behavior was strange. I never saw an asari bowing to a human before." Ashley commented.

"She was talking about some legend…. Wasn't she?" Alicia added.

"Yeah but we have no idea what she was talking about. Personally, I think she made some kind of mistake. Just forget it. It was nothing. We should focus on the task in our hand." John said.

"Yeah, right." Garrus said.

"I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it." Liara made the proposal.

John thought for a moment then said, "All right do it, Liara."

Liara said the same words as Shiala as her eyes turned black and she placed her hands on both side of John's head. Then it happened so suddenly that everyone got shocked. With a scream, Liara jumped away from John breaking their consciousness. She kept on breathing heavily sitting on a chair. John himself was also shocked.

"What happened Liara?" John said with concern.

"You….." Whatever she was about to say she didn't say it. "It was nothing, just a shock from seeing those images inside your mind." Liara said. She continued, "That was incredible. All this time. All my research. Yet I never dreamed….. I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so…. intense. You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind." Liara said.

"Come on. Get to the point. What did you see?" Ashley said irritated.

"The beacon on Eden Prime have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete." Liara said.

"You must have seen something." John said.

"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there, at least. But something was missing. Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can…. Whoa!" She stumbled. "The joining is…. Exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment."

"Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." John said.

"That won't be necessary. I just need some rest. Somewhere quiet." Liara said.

"We're done here. And we are on shore leave for the next 6 hours. Dismissed!" John said as he watched everyone walking away from the room but Alicia stopped just at the doorway and looked towards him for a moment. Then she turned away and left leaving him confused. John sighed and sat down on a chair. He took out the locket from his pocket and opened it. He looked at her picture. She was giving him her brilliant smile which he loved to see and those beautiful blue eyes full of mischief.

"I wish you were here with me now, Miri because this John is nothing without you by his side." John whispered as he caressed her picture inside the locket.

[==]

 **IN A BAR AT THE CITADEL…..**

"Where's the Commander? I thought he was going to join us here." Liara asked Garrus.

"He is coming. Why Liara? Do you have, you know…. As humans say, a crush on him?" Garrus teased.

Liara's blue cheeks turned pink as she averted his eyes. "Hah! I was right. You do like him." Garrus laughed.

"It's not like that. I am not used to these feelings, Garrus. I have never felt this way since I dedicated my entire life investigating about the Protheans." Liara answered still blushing.

"All right I get it. I am making you uncomfortable. I will stop." Garrus said. "Ow! What was that for?" Garrus shouted immediately looking at Tali.

"That's for teasing her, you idiot." Tali said trying not to smile, although if she smiled no one will realize it.

"Do you have to hit me so hard?" Garrus complained.

"You deserved it." Tali said folding her arms over her chest.

Garrus glared at her and she glared back. Liara saw the tension so she decided to break it. "What about the others? Chief Williams, Lieutenant Alenko and Wrex? Aren't they coming?" Liara asked.

"Alenko isn't coming and Wrex requested to leave him alone. Chief Williams will probably come with Shepard holding his hands…. You know as humans do things like that to show their territory." Garrus shrugged.

"Chief Williams? Really? Who told you that?" Tali asked.

"Tali I think you are blind behind that helmet of yours. How do you….. Ow!" Garrus shouted again as Tali hit him behind his head, again. Liara giggled. "Liara you are having fun at my expense, I see." Garrus said.

"Stop teasing us, Garrus." Tali said.

"You stop hitting me." Garrus shot back.

"First, you stop teasing us." Tali said glaring back at him.

Garrus realized that it was two against one, so he surrendered. "All right. All right. I won't tease again. But Tali really, you never saw how Williams was glaring at Liara when she joined with Shepard and when she was complementing him. She was jealous. I noticed the way she looks at him when he isn't watching." Garrus explained.

"Too bad. I also kind of liked him." Tali confessed.

"What?" Garrus stared at her dumbfounded. Liara's eyes widened at Tali's confession. "Sorry, Liara. It seems we both are beaten by Williams." Tali said.

"No. I don't think so." Liara disagreed softly.

"What? Why? Do you think we still have a chance?" Tali asked. Garrus rolled his eyes.

"No. We don't. Actually we never had and Chief Williams has also no chance of winning his heart." Liara said.

"Why? How can you be so sure?" Garrus asked.

"No woman can win him over because he…." Liara was stopped by Tali.

"No one? How do you know?" Tali asked.

"Remember when I joined my mind with him?" Liara said. They nodded. She continued, "I was trying to make meaning of the vision he received from Shiala. Accidentally, I saw a flash of his memories, just a flash. A blue eyes raven haired human teenage girl. And next second I felt his pain. It was….. Unimaginable. I don't know how he is coping with such pain. It's extraordinary. That's why I admired him then." Liara confessed.

"He has a secret lover?" Tali asked.

"I don't know. But she was just a girl and by human standards, I can tell that she was extremely beautiful. But by joining our consciousness I realized that girl is much more than a simple lover to him." Liara said.

"Wow! Do you think he somehow lost her or she is dead?" Garrus asked.

"Why are you asking this?" Tali frowned.

"Didn't you saw him on Feros, Tali? Just before we were going to save those civilians. He was lost completely. When I told him that I would drive, he never said a word to oppose. He just slumped down in the back seat of the Mako." Garrus said.

"He was crying." Liara said, softly.

Tali's eyes widened in shock under her helmet. Garrus was looking at Liara with his mouth hanging open. "Did you just said that, Commander Shepard was crying?" Garrus asked.

"Yes. He was." Liara said.

"Why? There must be some reason. He was okay just before that." Tali asked.

"I don't know. Only the Commander can explain it." Liara said.

"Liara, as an asari you have the best knowledge about biotics among us. Can a human have biotics without implants?" Tali asked.

"No. I don't think so. Lieutenant Alenko has also L3 implants in his body. So it isn't natural." Liara said.

"Then how did Shepard managed to get biotics? As far I know he has no biotic or any kind of implants in his body." Tali said.

"I have no idea, Tali. The Commander, is a mystery to me." Liara confessed.

"But….." Tali was stopped by Garrus. "What?" She asked him irritated. "Shepard is coming." Garrus said.

"I will ask him about this." Tali said.

"Will that be appropriate, Tali?" Liara asked.

"Why not? We both had friendly talks in the engine room about me and other subjects. He said that I have become his friend. As a friend I can do that." Tali said.

"He visited you too?" Liara asked.

"Yeah. He also visited me, Wrex and Chief Williams." Garrus said leaning back in his seat.

"Well when he first visited me, he talked about whether I was alright. Then he asked about my life and other things. He also said some jokes to lighten me up. At first, I thought that he was attracted to me that's why he was interacting with me so much. I liked him then. I asked him directly whether he likes me or not." Liara said in embarrassment.

"Wow! Then? What did he say?" Tali asked curiously.

"He said that in this short time he has grown to love me…." Liara was stopped by Tali. "What?!"

"Let me finish Tali. He said that he has grown to love me as his sibling. He also said that when he realized my innocence at first he began to care for me as his sister." Liara said.

"He told me that I have become his best friend and brother." Garrus confessed.

"Really? That's…." Tali didn't say anything more as John came near their table.

"Hey, guys." He greeted them and sat down facing Garrus.

"Commander…." John stopped Liara.

"Just John, Liara." He said.

"Right…. Where is Chief Williams and Alicia, John?" Liara asked.

"Ashley has gone to meet her sister. Alicia said that she had some personal matters to take care of. So she went off." John said.

Then they has small talks. They teased each other, laughed together. They just formed a bond and enjoyed each other company, like family members.

"John, you said that I am like a brother to you. Will you answer my questions truthfully?" Garrus asked seriously.

"Anything, Garrus. As long it is not embarrassing." John laughed lightly.

"Why were you crying in the Mako at Feros?" Garrus asked.

John was about to take a sip from his glass but Garrus' question froze him. Then his expression changed completely. "Who told you I was crying? I was just taking some rest." John lied.

"John, I saw you. Please tell us. If you consider us, like your family then tell us." Liara said kindly, taking his hand in hers.

He sighed. "I guess you guys had the right to know." He gave them a sad smile. He then pulled out the locket from his pocket and opened it to show them the two pictures inside it.

"This is the girl I saw in your memories." Liara said. Then she realized what she had done. John looked at her with questioning eyes. "I am sorry. It was never my intention to get into your memories. It was an accident. Really." Liara confessed.

"It's okay, Liara. I trust you." John assured her with a small smile. "I found this on Feros. I don't know how it got there because this was with her the last time I saw her. I was sure that she was on Feros. But that seemed impossible….. But nothing making any sense to me."

Then he started telling them the stories about his childhood about which no one knew except his mother, Dr. Chakwas and _her_. He told them how she met him and eventually fell in love with her and how they got separated. How his mother found him. He told them everything. By the time he was done, he had tears at the corner of his eyes. Tali rubbed away the tears from his eyes. She also had tears in her eyes. Hearing his story her heart ached. Liara now realized why he is in so much pain always. Garrus expression was also sad.

"After all these years you still love her?" Tali asked.

"Yeah because she wasn't just my girlfriend. She…. she was my life… is still my life and everything else. And she will always be so." John confessed.

"You will find her, one day. Your love is pure and deep. Nothing will be prevent both of you in your reunion with her. Mark my words, John." Liara soothed him.

"That's the only thing that has kept me to go on." John said. Liara placed her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. He returned a bittersweet smile at them. They changed the subject and started having small talks among each other. But they didn't notice, a raven haired woman with a pair of beautiful blue eyes was watching John from behind. Since, John's back was turned to her she couldn't see the locket he showed his friends. If she saw, both of their sufferings would have been over. But, fate has something else planned for them.

 **A/N: In this chapter a bond is assumed to form between the four of them during the previous incidents. I didn't explain the small talks as I thought it was unnecessary. When I played ME2 and ME3, I formed my opinion that John saw Liara, Tali and Garrus as his closest friends and almost as brother and sister. Maybe I am wrong but that was my belief since whenever I played I chose Miranda and my character never eyed anyone except her. This is my morale actually. If I found any girl ever in my life I would never look at another one ever. I just put my morale in Shepard.**


	16. A surprising message

"John, did you submit your report to the Council?" Garrus asked.

"Mhm. I did." John answered.

"Did you mention Alicia in your report?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah. Why?" John asked curiously wondering why Garrus was asking him about his report.

"She is a civilian, John." Garrus said.

John now understood why Garrus was asking him about his report. A civilian cannot stay on an Alliance ship.

"I know. She won't travel with us any longer. She will stay here at Citadel. She said so." John said.

"All right. You know why I mentioned this, John." Garrus said.

"Yeah, I know Garrus."

 **LATER**

"So you are leaving? Where will you go?" John asked Alicia.

"I don't know. I will stay for some time in Citadel. Then I will look for a job, I guess." Alicia explained.

"Well, good luck then." He smiled and they shook hands. She looked straight at John's eyes and she got the feeling again that she knew this man standing in front of her. John got lost in her blue eyes also and he also get the same feeling that he knew those eyes, those blue eyes of Alicia. Alicia got out of her trance somehow. She realized that she was staring at him openly.

"I…. I should go now." She stammered.

"Good luck, Alicia." John said again and they bid good bye to each other. She turned her head back and have a last look at John before leaving.

The moment she walked away John felt as if he lost something. Having Alicia around was good. _Why I am feeling this way? I have no feelings for Alicia, I just barely knew her besides I love Miri and no one else._ That was the problem he was facing. When Alicia was around him, he felt as if his Miri was near him. When she left he felt the same void which he felt years ago when the slavers captured him and took him away from her. John grabbed his head in frustration. He returned to Normandy and checked his private terminal for any important messages. Most of them were just trash but one message caught his eye. It was sent by an unknown sender. Getting curious he opened the message. His eyes widened reading the message. He re-read it, making sure that he didn't read it wrong. When he was sure that the message was no hallucination he bolt through the door and entered the elevator. He left the Normandy, informing Pressly that he is leaving for some personal matters since there was still time left for the Normandy to depart.

He felt excitement running through his whole body. After all this time he will finally be able to see her again. He hurried to the place mentioned in the message. The message was brief. It said that a man named Hadley knew where Miri is and he requested to meet John. How he knew about his earlier life was unknown to him but at this moment he didn't care. All he cared was that he must find out where _she_ is. When he reached the mentioned co-ordinates, he observed that the area was dark and no one was there.

"Hello! Anyone here?" John said. "Hello!" No one answered him. He looked around and found no one. Then he felt something piercing his back and then his world went black.

 **[==]**

Miranda left the Normandy both frustrated and angry with herself. She was frustrated because she knew that she started to have feelings for the famous John Shepard. Whatever the media said about him was not an exaggeration. In fact whatever they said to admire the Commander wasn't enough. He is much more than just a soldier and a hero. And she got to know him well. He is a good man and his qualities remind her of John, the one she loves. Some of his actions, his facial expressions and most of all, his eyes, they made her almost believe that she was looking at her John, not the great Commander Shepard. Besides these, she felt safe around the Commander which she didn't feel since John was taken away from her. She couldn't figure out why she is having this feelings for that man whom she barely knew. She was angry with herself also because she cannot have feelings for the Commander because only one person resides in her heart but somehow the Commander managed to change that without even trying it. She knew that this feelings were dangerous and could compromise the mission. So, she left willingly and decided to contact the Illusive Man to report her failure. She didn't know how to say it to her boss because she never failed in her task before.

She was wondering this sitting in a chair in the dock area when she watched the Commander walking away hurriedly somewhere and he was all alone and without any armor and weapon. She got up from her seat and immediately followed him. After tailing the Commander for some time she saw him came to stop. She observed the area. _Why is he here? What's going on?_ She thought. Then she heard him calling out for someone but no one answered him. He looked around impatiently and then suddenly he slumped on the ground. That took her by surprise. She was about to bolt forward to help him but she stopped as several men appeared from dark and gathered around the Commander's limp body. _Who are these people?_ She wondered but whoever they are…. They are the Commander's enemies. She observed from behind as they lifted Shepard's limp body from the ground and carried him away. She followed them silently. _Where are they taking him?_ She thought. After walking for a few minutes they came to a stop where four cabs were waiting for them. They threw him in one of the cabs and flew away. Miranda watched helpless. She could do nothing. Suddenly she another cab approaching. She signaled it to stop. When the cab driver asked her where she would like to go, she merely knocked him senseless and hid his unconscious body and took the cab and followed them immediately. She was determined to save the Commander. "Hold on Commander, I am coming." She murmured with fire in her eyes which was one of extreme protectiveness but she didn't realized it.

[==]

 _ **A/N: I know this a very short chapter and I apologize for this but this needed to be done. And Jurbio thanks for the info. Please review as always.**_


	17. An old enemy

John slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He looked at his surroundings and found himself in some kind of storage room. When he tried to move his hands he realized that his hands were tied. He tried to remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was that he was looking for the stranger when something pierced his back and he lost consciousness. He was ashamed of himself because he acted irrationally. Being a soldier he couldn't see the trap that was laid for him. _How can I be so stupid?_ Just the mere mention of getting her news drove all of his rational thoughts away from his mind and he rushed to his destination without even informing a single person where he was going. This was all his fault. He tried to pull himself free but soon realized that his effort was futile. There was no way he could break free from his restraint. He rested his back against the wall in defeat. He wondered who caught him. _Are they Saren's puppets or someone else?_

John's thoughts stopped as the storage door opened and two mercenaries marched inside. He eyed them trying to figure out who they worked for. Their armor doesn't seem to belong to any mercenaries group he knew. "What do you want with me?" John asked them. They didn't answer, instead they yanked him up on his feet and one of them placed his gun on John's back and indicated him to move. "Where are you taking me? I am not going until you tell me." John asked again.

The mercenary hit John behind his head with the butt of his rifle. John saw stars as he fell on the ground from the sudden blow. They again pulled him on his feet. The mercenary behind John shoved him forward. This time John did as they said because he realized he won't get any answer from these two. They are merely following orders of their boss whoever that was. They took him to a room which looked like it was more of a torture place than a meeting place.

"Tie him." John heard someone say. Next he knew he was pulled towards the wall and was tied to it by his hands and legs.

"Who are you? What do you want?" John shouted angrily. Then he heard a laugh. A cold, cruel laugh and he heard it before. The person slowly came to John's view. John's eyes flashed with fury realizing who it was.

"It's been too long, Commander Shepard or should I say, John?" The person laughed. The leader of the mercenaries looked a little aged as some his hairs were white and his skin was showing signs of his aging. But his eyes, they were cruel and menacing. He has an ugly scar right below his left eye.

"Petrovich." John said grinding his teeth in anger.

[==]

"You seem to remember me it seems. But do you remember this?" Petrovich said indicating the scar on his face.

John said angrily, "How can I forget it? Believe me, it was my intention to kill you then and this time I will do it."

Petrovich laughed again. "Look who's talking." Then he walked forward and grabbed the front of John's shirt. "You are at my mercy boy! This time I am finishing which I left unfinished last time because of your whore mother." He spat. But Petrovich grimaced in pain immediately as John head-butted him. He covered his face with his hands trying to stop the sudden pain. When he realized that John broke his nose he was outraged in anger. "You are going to pay for this boy. And next your mother." He yelled.

John pulled on his restraint but they didn't budge. John was overwhelmed in fury. Because of this man he lost his Miri that day. He took away his happiness and his life from him. Now this bastard is planning to go after his mother. He knew why. It was Hannah Shepard who put Petrovich behind the cells after rescuing the colonists of Mindoir. He is seeking revenge. John cannot let this happen. He already lost _her_ but he can't lose his mother too. He gathered all of his strength and pulled on the restraints again.

"Don't stand there fools. Stop him." Petrovich ordered his men. They nodded and walked towards John and started to beat him mercilessly. After beating John for few minutes the mercenaries stepped back. John had blood all over his face. There were several bruises visible on his face. His shirt was torn apart from the beating he took. He was almost unconscious.

Petrovich pulled John's head up to meet his own eyes. "This time you are dying boy." He said cruelly.

"Don't be so sure." Petrovich heard a female voice behind him. He turned to see a dark skinned woman standing a few feet away with a SMG in her hand and many of his men lay dead on the ground.

"Don't just stand there. Kill her, you idiots!" Petrovich yelled to his remaining mercenaries. Before they could shoot at the woman the chains holding the containers on top of them gave away and fell on the mercenaries killing them.

"You are dead!" Petrovich yelled in anger and ran towards the woman. Few of Petrovich's mercenaries were still alive. They managed to avoid being crushed by the containers. They stood up and tried to look for their guns.

In the meantime John slowly got out from the dizziness. His vision was still blurred. He heard gun fire and shouts all around him. He looked up and saw a lone feminine figure fighting Petrovich and his men alone and she was clearly giving them hell. He looked at the woman carefully even though his vision wasn't clear. Then his eyes widened in shock. _It was her. It's her. She's here._ He thought. He watched from the corner of his eyes that several of Petrovich's mercenaries entered the area and started firing on her. He realized that she is pinned down by the mercenaries and Petrovich. One of the mercenaries threw a grenade towards her cover and she was forced to jump away from there leaving her open to their fire. That got to him. "No…. No." He whispered. As long he is alive no one can touch her. No one. His body started to glow brightly with dark energy and his muscles bulged. He pulled on his bindings with every ounce of his strength. He was so strong that he pulled the entire chain free from the wall and destroying a part of the wall in the process. The dark energy around him died but somehow he managed to recover slightly from his broken state, so that he could fight. He saw an assault rifle laying at his feet. He immediately took it and shot the mercenaries those who were approaching her. The bullets from his rifle tore the mercenaries' body apart.

Petrovich turned towards him with shocked eyes. But John looked towards her. She was behind a small cover. She stood up from behind the cover and looked towards him. _It wasn't her, it was Alicia._ John realized and his heart shattered. Now Petrovich was alone. He was against John and Alicia. He tried to reach for the gun but before he could reach it he was hit on his face by a spinning kick from Alicia. The kick shattered his jaw. "Aggghhhh!" Petrovich yelled in pain holding his jaw lying on the ground.

John watched that everything was under control and suddenly he felt dizziness came rushing over him as he fell to the ground. Alicia saw the Commander falling on the ground and more mercenaries entering the area. Her eyes widened in fear. "No…" She whispered.

[==]

 **30 MINUTES AGO**

Miranda landed her cab at a safe distance away from the enemies' eyes. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching her. Once she realized that her transport was safe she started to move towards the building where Shepard is kept. She hid herself and observed that there were plenty of mercenaries around the area. There is no way she could take on all of them if it comes down to a fight. She needs help. She need to communicate with the Normandy somehow. But the question is 'how'. Her keen eyes observed the mercenaries. _They must have some kind of communication device with them. If I can take one of them down, I can contact the Normandy._ Miranda watched one mercenary guard was walking a few feet away from others. She moved from her position and hid behind a cover to wait for the opportunity to take him down. As soon as the mercenary turned his back towards her, she swiftly grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck. She dragged his body and hid it. She reached for his radio and easily hacked into it.

[==]

 **NORMANDY**

"Where's Shepard?" Garrus asked Joker.

"No one knows. Pressly is saying that Shepard left without informing where he was going." Joker shrugged.

"Maybe he has gone to see his mother?" Tali suggested.

"Admiral Shepard? Yeah maybe. But he should have told so. He acted strange and….. I don't know." Liara said.

"I am having a bad feeling about this. The Commander never did anything like this before." Kaidan said.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"Like not informing his squad or anyone where he is going. He acted out of his behavior." Kaidan explained.

"I don't think he went to see his mother." Joker said.

"How can you be so sure?" Ashley asked.

"Because Admiral Shepard is coming towards the Normandy and the Commander isn't with her." Joker deadpanned.

All of them immediately looked through the glass and indeed it was Admiral Hannah Shepard walking towards the Normandy. Admiral Shepard requested to board the Normandy which was immediately granted. Joker opened the door for her to enter. Everyone saluted her except Garrus, Tali, Liara and Joker.

The Admiral looked towards Kaidan. "Where is the Commander?" She asked. Kaidan didn't answer immediately which made her facial expression turn from calm to angry. "I asked you a question Lieutenant." She repeated.

"The Commander is missing for almost an hour Admiral." Kaidan answered.

"What? Where did he go?" The Admiral asked alarmed.

"We don't know Admiral. The Commander informed no one. He just said that he is leaving the Normandy for few minutes for a personal matter." Pressly informed Hannah.

The Admiral listened carefully. She sighed. _What have you done John?_ She looked up and addressed the team, "All right listen. It looks to me that the Commander is in danger. We…" She stopped as the Normandy's radio chattered.

" _Anyone there? Anyone? I need to talk with someone on the Normandy."_ A female voice said.

Hannah answered the call. "This is Admiral Shepard. Identify yourself."

"That's Alicia." Garrus answered before the woman could answer Hannah.

" _Yeah. I am Alicia. Admiral I know where the Commander is. I will explain everything later. I am trying to save him but I don't think that I can do this without help_." Alicia said.

"Where is he? Give us the location." Hannah ordered.

Alicia gave them the location. She paused and said softly, " _Admiral. Hurry._ ' Then she ended the communication.

"How did she knew where the Commander is?" Ashley asked with a frown on her face.

"It doesn't matter and we don't have time to dwell on those matters. We must focus on saving the Commander." Hannah said. She paused for a moment. "Who is coming in with me?" She asked. Everyone in the team, volunteered immediately. "Very well. Let's go." Hannah said and left the Normandy. The others followed.

[==]

Miranda ended the communication and sneaked inside the building carefully avoiding the guards. She kept on watching around and moving forward at the same time. So far, she didn't saw any guards anywhere. The entire place was almost dark. It helped her to hide herself from watchful eyes. She came to stop when she saw the Commander. He was tied to a wall by chains and he was beaten to a pulp. Her eyes showed pure fury. She watched an aged man approached the Commander. She realized that she cannot wait for the Normandy team to arrive. She pulled out small devices from her pocket and carefully guided those devices to attach themselves with the chains that were holding the containers above the mercenaries with her omni-tool. She saw several mercenaries were facing their back to her. She silently took them out without anyone realizing. The others were taking fun torturing the Commander, so they didn't realize that few of their men are down. Then she heard that aged man was talking with the Commander. That man was threatening the Commander.

"This time you are dying boy." She heard the threat and realized that she cannot wait anymore. She revealed herself and said, "Don't be so sure."

The aged man turned towards her and she detonated the small devices with her omni-tool. The containers crashed down killing several mercenaries. She shot two more with her SMG and crushed one with her biotics. But within a minute she was surrounded by more mercenaries. She was forced to duck behind a cover. She returned their fire but not for long as one of them tossed a grenade. She jumped away to avoid the blast but the SMG slipped away from her hand. She fell on the ground hard but managed to get behind a small cover. She was sure that she would die any second as she heard gun fire. But not a single bullet hit her. She looked up to see that the mercenaries those who were firing on her were all dead. She was surprised. Then she looked and saw that the Commander somehow freed himself from his restraint and he shot the mercenaries. She saw the Commander looked towards her with something strange in his eyes. _Was it disappointment or sadness? Or both?_ Miranda suddenly saw the leader of the mercenaries' eyes widened and he dove for his gun. But she was faster. She reached him before he could reach his gun. She took him down with a spinning kick. He fell on the ground groaning in pain. She started to secure the leader but she stopped as she heard of something hitting the ground. She turned towards the Commander to find that he was on the ground and he wasn't moving. Her eyes widened when she saw several more mercenaries entering the area with their guns raised. "No…." She whispered realizing that they were surrounded.

[==]

Miranda ran towards the Commander's limp body, not caring that several mercenaries were approaching them. She checked him and found that he was conscious and breathing. She sighed in relief. Then she eyed the mercenaries and her whole body started to glow with dark energy. She unleashed her biotics on them killing a few of them. She realized that it was no use. They were many and she couldn't fight them alone. She saw them raising their gun towards her. She closed her eyes preparing for her inevitable death. She heard several gun fire and the mercenaries screamed. She opened her eyes to see that most of them were dead and the rest of them were surrounded by Alliance soldiers and the Normandy team. Garrus and the others including the Admiral came rushing towards her. The Admiral fell on her knees beside her son's body. She caressed his face lovingly.

"Is he okay?" Hannah asked Alicia.

"Yeah. But he took a lot of beating before I came here." Alicia said. "We should take him on a stretcher. He can't walk." She added. Hannah nodded. She ordered her men to gather a stretcher for her son. Miranda looked towards the Admiral. She met the Admiral in her childhood when she requested her to save John. _Did she save him? And if she did she must know where he is now._ Miranda realized with excitement. She was about to ask her but stopped when she realized they weren't alone and she was under disguise. _Later, Miranda. Later._ She said to herself.

The Alliance soldiers lifted the Commander's body on the stretcher to get him away from there.

"Alicia. Thank you for saving my son." Hannah said from behind. Miranda turned to talk with her but she felt someone tugging at her hands. She turned to see who it was. Her eyes widened. She never realized that this whole time her right hand was held by the Commander. Although he is unconscious now, he still didn't let her hand go. She gently tried to remove her hand from his grasp but she couldn't do it. He had a strong and also a gentle grip on her hand. She looked up to see that everyone was watching her with shocked expression. She was shocked herself as she looked at their joined hands again.

 _ **A/N: This is the continuation of the last chapter. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Last chapter was too short. I know. But I wasn't trying to rush. I wanted that part to be separate. That's all. And Shepard was indeed a little OOC at the end of the last chapter. This happened because this story is an AU and the relationship between Miranda and Shepard is not the same as it is in the game. So in the future, I don't know, maybe some of the characters can act a little OOC. I hope you guys understand. And as always review.**_


	18. Realizations

**NORMANDY**

The Normandy team was waiting for Admiral Shepard to explain to them about the earlier situation. Everyone of the team was present there except, Alicia and Shepard. The Commander is recovering at the hospital and Alicia proposed to stay by his side. Hannah agreed to her proposal and allowed her to stay beside his son. She trusted that young woman enough to put John's safety in her hands. Alicia has earned her trust by saving John's life and Hannah is beyond grateful to Alicia for it. The team looked up as the Admiral entered the room. Before anyone could speak, Hannah answered their unasked questions, "I know all of you are wondering who that man was who kidnapped your Commander. His name is Petrovich and he was a slaver once. John and I encountered with him in the past. He is an old enemy. It was I who put him behind the bars."

Garrus, Tali and Liara eyed each other since they already knew about Petrovich.

"Admiral, may I speak?" Ashley asked.

"Go ahead, Chief."

"We were wondering how did that man named Petrovich lure the Commander into his trap? I mean we're talking about Commander Shepard here. He isn't among the ones who easily fall into enemies hands. It's just….. kind of unbelievable." Ashley voiced her concern.

Hannah looked at Ashley. She didn't know what to say to Ashley. "I don't know. But know this Chief, everyone has a weakness and Petrovich knew the weakness of John and he used it against my son." Hannah replied finally. After few more pleasant conversations Hannah left the Normandy and went to see her son in hospital.

Ashley turned towards the other member's of John's team. She asked with a frown on her face, "Why is she of all people allowed to stay beside the Commander? I mean we don't know much about her and personally I don't trust her."

"I think we can trust her now. She has more than proved herself." Garrus said. Liara and Tali agreed with him.

"Yeah, if she wanted to do any harm or had any other intentions, she wouldn't have risked her own life to save the Commander." Joker cut in.

"It's true that she saved the Commander's life but why is she allowed to stay so close to him? It seems…. It doesn't seem right at all." Ashley protested.

Before the conversation turned more heated, Kaidan decided to reveal what he was suspecting for sometime now. "I think, I know." Kaidan interrupted. Everyone looked at him with questioning eyes. Kaidan spoke again, "I have noticed that Alicia have become closer to the Commander. She only talks with him among us and if I am not wrong, the way she looks at the Commander when he isn't watching, the way she smiles at him, somewhat tells me that she likes the Commander, a lot and he probably likes her too."

"What?" Ashley said in disbelief.

"Didn't you see how Shepard held her hand in his own even when he was unconscious?" Kaidan asked. Everyone nodded in agreement except Garrus, Liara and Tali because they knew nothing is going on between Alicia and John.

"Well is pretty much confirms something is going on between them." Kaidan said again. Ashley just glared at him as she was feeling insanely jealous.

 **HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL**

Miranda sat beside John's face silently with her blue eyes solely focused on the peaceful expression of his sleeping face. She smiled slightly and caressed his forehead with her fingers. Everyone knew Commander Shepard as a tough man, an unstoppable force in battle. She knew that too. She has no doubt regarding his combat abilities. He is _unique_. But now she knew him better than that. She looked at him again and saw that he has a hint of smile on his face and that made her realise how much the Commander looks like her John. The same smile and also other things, about which she didn't want to think about now. The way he is sleeping now made some of her old memories rushing back in her mind. The most frightening thing was that she knew that she is slowly falling for this man even she isn't ready to admit it to herself. She tried to resist him but her effort was futile. He got under her skin without even trying to do so. But she knew there can be nothing between her and the Commander, ever. She couldn't get any more closer to him than she already had. If she did, he is bound to know her real identity and whom she works for. She felt ashamed of herself for feeling this way about Shepard since she is already in love with another person. She was confused before about why she was feeling this way about him but not anymore. It's because Shepard reminds her of her John because they both seems somewhat similar. Miranda was craving human contact. Even though she had her sister, it wasn't enough. Since he went missing she always feel that a part of her is missing and she also knew that no one can fill it except him. Numerous men desired to have a relationship with her. Most of them just wanted to get her into their bed but there were few good men too among them, like Jacob. Even her friend Niket indicated indirectly that he is interested in her in more than friendship. But she kept them at a safe distance since she knew that even if she had started relationship with them it wouldn't have worked. It would've been only physical relationship, nothing more than that. She found that disgusting. She already committed her heart, body and soul to one man and it won't change ever. But living her life without him is becoming more and more difficult day by day. She needed him in her life desperately. There is no word in which she could describe how much she loves him and always will. Suddenly a thought hit her when she looked at Shepard's face. _Is it possible? Could he be her John? Why not?_ She thought. She haven't thought about this before. There's a big chance that Commander John Shepard could be her John. But she has no way to confirm it. _Is there really no way to know? Yes! There's a way. Why didn't I thought about this before? Damn! I am an idiot. Admiral Shepard. She must have some idea about where he can be since she rescued him. But did she? Was she able to save him?_ If the Admiral reveals that he is dead, Miranda knew that she will not survive it. It's better to live with hope. Isn't it? But leaving without him is becoming almost unbearable _._ Miranda decided to talk with the Admiral immediately since she couldn't contain her excitement. But she stopped as another thought hit her. _What are you doing Miranda? You are compromising the mission. If you ask the Admiral about him many questions will be raised and you will blow your cover._ She mentally scolded herself. _Later, Miranda, later._ She tried to calm herself. She again looked at John's sleeping face and suddenly her whole body filled with anger watching the bruises and cuts all over his face and arms. Her heart also ached and she couldn't stop the single tear that fell from her eyes on his face. She kissed his forehead quickly and ran away from the room trying to hide her tears which came when she thought about her John getting tortured like the Commander but she didn't saw John stirred in his bed and murmured her name. Miranda entered the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She placed her forehead on the basin and sobbed. Then an image ran through her mind. It was of Petrovich, who was torturing John and he was calling for her. She splashed more water on her face and looked towards the mirror over the basin.

 _Yes. He knows. He can tell her where John is._

She roughly pulled away her disguise which revealed her pale skin and her beautiful face. Her eyes were cold like ice as her whole body shook with fury. She made a decision and left the bathroom with fury in her cold blue eyes.

 **12 HOURS LATER**

John groaned as he regained consciousness on his bed. He felt his whole body aching in pain. He looked to his right side and saw that Dr. Chakwas was sitting in a chair beside his bed and she was fast asleep. A smile graced his face. _She really loves me as her own son._ He thought and placed his hand lightly on hers. She woke up with a start and saw that John was looking at her with a small smile on his face. She immediately started to check his health. She sat down again once she was satisfied that he was okay.

"How are you feeling, John?" She asked in a motherly tone.

"Besides the pain which is raking through my whole body, I am alright." He said tiredly.

"It's normal after what you went through." She paused for a second and added, "Again."

John looked away from her in shame.

"The pain will be gone in a few hours. Most of the bruises and the cuts on your body are already healed. You are healing at an amazing rate. The doctors, including me are amazed." Dr. Chakwas said softly. She opened her mouth to ask him what really happened but stopped when she saw her friend Admiral Hannah Shepard entering the room. She gave a reassuring smile to her friend indicating that John was alright.

"I'll leave the two of you alone." Dr. Chakwas said and exited the room. Hannah looked towards her son who wasn't meeting her eyes.

"John….."

"I am sorry, mom." He apologised softly. "I have thought of something. I think that I don't deserve to remain as a Spectre any more after what I did."

"Enough!" Hannah said a little loudly. "It's true that you made a mistake. But everyone learns from their mistake. Besides, you didn't endanger anyone's life by your action. So, I don't think that the Council will strip you off your Spectre title."

"Still….."

"No. Listen to me John. No one blames you for anything."

"But I let my own personal matters compromise the mission. Pursuing Saren is more important than my personal matters. I don't know what happened to me after I read that a man can tell me where she is. I just ran without a second thought."

"John, nobody is perfect. Everyone make mistakes and you did too. But tell me everything, John. What did Petrovich want from you?"

"He was seeking revenge on both of us. He didn't forget that you are the one who put him behind bars." Then John explained everything to his mother. After listening to her, Hannah looked towards her son with sad eyes. She placed her hand on his forehead.

"John, I somewhat understand how much you care for her and what she means to you. But you have to be more careful from now on. Promise me."

"I promise, mom." They remained silent for a minute. John eventually broke the silence. "Where is Alicia? Is she on the Normandy?"

"I don't know. Last time I saw her, she was with you here. Why?"

"She was here?" John was surprised.

"Yeah."

"I owe her my life. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been here now. I need to thank her at least."

"John, the Council has allowed her to stay in the Normandy and assist you in pursuing Saren. So, you can thank her later. And she has more than proven herself to be trustworthy." She paused. "I am grateful to her because she saved me from losing my son for the second time in my life."

"That she did." John replied with a smile. At that moment someone knocked at the door and interrupted the mother-son talk. Hannah looked towards the door to see an Alliance soldier standing there with a salute.

"Pardon me, Admiral. But I have an urgent news for you." The soldier said.

"Go ahead."

"Admiral, Petrovich is dead. Someone put at least six bullets in his head." The soldier replied.

"What?!" Hannah exclaimed in shock.

 _ **A/N: Sorry for the late update. This chapter doesn't progress the story. Please bear with me and if there are some mistakes in grammar please forgive me since English is not my first language. And last of all as always, please review!**_


	19. Getting suspicious

_**Note: A small but a significant thing is added in chapter 18. I would recommend to have a go through it before you read this chapter. Here is the chapter….**_

 **HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL**

"What did you say? Petrovich is dead? How?" Hannah asked totally taken aback by the news.

"He was shot at his head in his cell, Admiral." The soldier informed.

"How can someone infiltrate the prison despite that tight security? And not only the person entered the prison, he or she even murdered a prisoner."

"We still couldn't understand it, Admiral. But we came to the conclusion that whoever killed Petrovich is highly trained in many ways. We are sorry Admiral."

"You can go, private." Hannah said.

"What's going on? Who could've killed Petrovich?" John asked his mother.

"I cannot figure it out John. As far i know from the investigation, Petrovich had no enemy, at least I don't know."

"What done is done. It's good that he is dead." John murmured.

"Maybe. But still…"

 **PRISON, 6 HOURS AGO**

Petrovich sat in his cell, trying to figure out how to escape. So far he observed that the security is tight and especially around his cell. It seems that the guards were ordered to keep a close eye on him. He heard footsteps of a guard passing by his cell door. He can't wait to get out of here and take his revenge on the Admiral and his son. Another person got added to his list now. That woman. She broke his jaw completely.

"It doesn't matter how much you tighten the security Admiral Shepard, you can't keep me here for long." He said to no one.

"This time you won't be able to escape." Said a cold voice.

Petrovich was so much lost in his hate and revenge that he didn't notice a woman with a body tight black bodysuit entered his cell and stood before him. She looked both beautiful and deadly. Her expression was cold and was full of hatred for him. Her piercing blue eyes were telling him that he is doomed this time. She raised her handgun towards him. Petrovich was never scared in his life but something about this woman make him stutter.

"W-Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" He asked trying to distract her.

"There are so many reasons for which I want to kill you now. But I have my own personal reason." She replied with hatred in her voice.

"I…. I don't even know you." Petrovich stuttered.

"You don't? Then I have to make you remember me before you die." She answered. Next second she was standing near him holding his broken jaw tightly with her hand. It took all of Petrovich's self-restraint not to cry out in pain.

"14 years ago. 14 long years ago. You took slaves from Mindoir. You remember that?" She said coldly. Petrovich could only nod as he was feeling tremendous pain at his jaw.

"Before you left you and your slavers raided one small house. Two teenagers lived there. They were happy. But you and your people destroyed their life. That day you took him away from me and by doing so you destroyed my whole life." She said angrily. But Petrovich noticed her voice was trembling but only a little. He still couldn't understand who is this woman because if his memory serves right he couldn't remember seeing any teenage girl in that house.

"I have waited for this for a long time. But before I kill you you will tell me what you did to that boy. And where is he now?" She asked him angrily placing her gun on his forehead.

"I didn't kill him. I swear!" Petrovich replied in a terrified voice.

"Then where is he now?" She yelled.

Petrovich flinched and he saw that there were tears in her eyes. Then a realization hit him. "You are that girl aren't you? I saw you when we were leaving with our prisoners. I wanted to come back and get you. But look what your boyfriend did to stop me." He said indicating the long scar across his face.

Miranda's love for John increased ten folds hearing Petrovich's words, if it was even possible. Even when he was at the enemies mercy, he was still trying to protect her. She smiled to herself inwardly.

"You deserved it. I would've been happy if he was able to kill you!" She spat. "But you didn't answer my question. Where is he now?" Miranda could feel her heart beating rapidly in excitement of hearing where John is now.

Petrovich opened his mouth to say something but at that moment the alarm went off. Miranda cursed. "You can't escape girl. Soon you will be in the hands of the Alliance." He smirked smugly.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." She said and in the next second her gun went off. A single bullet exited her gun and smashed Petrovich's brain into shreds. Blood and gore splattered on the cell wall and floor. Miranda realized it's her time to escape. She swiftly left the cell and typed something on her omni-tool. It disabled the entire power of the prison and darkness spread everywhere. Her black suit helped her to merge with darkness and hide her from searching eyes. Without waiting a second longer she went forward to escape the prison.

After sometime the alarms were turned off in the prison as they were led to believe that the alarm went off because of a system malfunction. Guards were moving from cell to cell checking on the prisoners. After sometime a guard entered Petrovich's cell while smoking. As soon as he opened the door of the cell his eyes turned round in disbelief and the cigarette dropped from his mouth as his mouth hung wide open.

"Captain!" He shouted.

 **NORMANDY 9 HOURS LATER**

"Shepard! It's good to see that you are up on your feet again." Anderson greeted through video comm.

"Thank you sir. It feels good to be able to stand on my own again." John replied.

Then Anderson's expression turned serious, "Listen Shepard. Saren is hiding at this time. But a lot of geth activities are being reported at Noveria. You should go and check it. Maybe you will find some clue about Saren's activities there."

"I will make it a priority Captain."

"Good luck out there Shepard." Anderson said and the transmission ended.

 **AN HOUR LATER**

"Hey Commander, it's good to have you back." Joker said cheerfully when John arrived at the cockpit.

"Yeah, it feels good. So, everything okay here, while I was gone?" John asked.

"Everything is fine. Except, well…" Joker hesitated.

"Except….?" John asked curiously.

"Williams is not happy about Alicia being onboard the Normandy and especially her staying by your side in the hospital."

"Why?" John asked surprised.

"Her reasoning was that she doesn't trust Alicia but Kaidan and I suspect it's not about trust. It's something else."

"Alicia proved herself trustworthy. What is Ashley worried about?" John said.

"I trust Alicia, Shepard. I mean, come on she just saved you from getting killed."

"Yeah, she did save my life and I am grateful to her for it. But i need to talk to Ashley about this. If there is doubt among teammates then there will be a high probability of casualty during battle."

"Commander, before you talk to Williams I think, I can enlighten you about her behaviour."

"Go on, Joker. I would like to know it."

"She is jealous, Commander." Joker simply stated.

"Jealous?" John asked totally surprised. "About what?"

"She is jealous of Alicia because she has grown quite closer to you than others except Garrus, Liara and Tali." Joker said turning his chair back towards John.

John processed in his mind what Joker revealed to him. Slowly, realization dawned on him.

 _Dr. Chakwas was right. Ashley indeed likes me. But I cannot give her false hope. I need to talk to her about this._

"Joker, how long to Noveria?" John said changing the subject.

"We are nearly there, Commander. ETA 25 minutes." Joker replied.

"Very well. I am heading to the cargo bay. I need to brief them about the mission." John said and left the cockpit.

 _I have to talk to Ashley after the mission._

 **CARGO BAY**

"So we got Saren on the run." Wrex said.

"It won't be long. I will find him." John replied in a determined voice.

"He's rotten to the core. Damn turian!" Wrex growled.

"No offense taken." Garrus said from behind. John chuckled. Wrex scowled at the blue armored turian.

"You know Saren?" John asked.

"I was working as a merc near the Terminus system a long time ago. They said the job was well paid. So, I took it. Saren just showed up once. We'd been raiding ships in the area for months when we took down the massive cargo freighter. I was onboard checking bodies for valuables, looking for some extra credits. That's when I saw him."

"What did Saren want with the ship?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know what he wanted. He was just moving through the ship. Watching. Couple of the mercs called him by name but he never spoke to them. Never spoke to anyone. I had a really bad feeling about him, so I got the hell out. Didn't even wait to get paid and my instincts were right. Every other merc on that mission turned up dead within a week. Every damn one."

"Good decision, Wrex." Garrus commented.

After leaving Wrex and Garrus to their argument John turned his attention towards Alicia. He saw that she was standing leaning against the wall with her arms crossed under her chest. Something clicked in his mind watching Alicia standing like that.

 _She is standing exactly the same way Miri used to stand when she wanted to observe something._

He slowly approached her. When she saw John she straightened herself and greeted him with a small smile.

"Hey Alicia, how are you doing?" John asked her returning her smile with his own.

"I am doing all right, Commander. I'm glad that the Council and the others are okay to let me help you in the mission. But most of all I am happy to see that you are all right." She smiled again.

"Look Alicia, a simple 'Thankyou' is not enough for what you did. I can never repay you for what you did for me. But I would want you to know that if you ever need me for anything, I will be there with you, as a friend." He said extending his hand towards her for a handshake.

Miranda's heart warmed at his words. No one ever told her such a nice thing to her ever, except John. But now, this man John Shepard, who seems similar in many ways with her John is giving his trust to her without a second thought.

 _This is what John did. He also gave me his trust right away and later his heart. And in the process I never realized when he stole away my heart._

Even her childhood friend Niket had a motive behind befriending her. He wanted more than friendship. But Shepard is different. He is a perfect gentleman and she knew in her heart that she can trust this man. She came to know him better, since she joined the squad. He isn't like any other man who only make friendship with women, only for them to seduce them in their bed and fulfill their lust. She saw many women tried to flirt with him openly but he never flirted back. He talked with them politely and maintained a respectable distance, always.

Getting out of her thoughts she took his hand for a handshake. As soon as their bare skin touched both of them flinched and snatched their hands back immediately. They felt as if they were hit by current. Both of their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Nice, talking with you….. Alicia." John said rubbing his neck nervously with his right hand. He turned away hurriedly and left her standing there.

Miranda was taken aback when she took his hand. She felt as if she knew his touch, the warmth of his hands. They felt familiar. And Shepard rubbed his neck nervously in the same way John used to act when he was nervous. She also observed something in his eyes, _a hint of recognition. Yes, she saw it._

Miranda was beginning to believe more and more that Commander John Shepard is no one else, but her John.

 _Is it really you John?_ She could only hope.

 **ABOUT 25 MINUTES LATER**

" _Normandy, your arrival wasn't scheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business."_ Noveria Control approach warned the Normandy when the Normandy entered the planet's atmosphere.

"Citadel business. We've got a Council Spectre aboard." Joker replied to the Noveria control.

" _Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised, we will be confirming that identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded."_

"What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave here." Joker murmured.

 **AT THE DOCKING BAY OF NOVERIA**

Kaira Stirling, one of the guards at the Noveria docking bay, was walking towards the docking bay with her boss, Captain Maeko Matsuo at her toes. She is stationed here for two years now. This planet was peaceful, until recently. As the whole planet is covered with snow and the weather is extremely cold for any organics to survive. So, the security is somewhat low here compared to other planets. The geth being synthetics has no difficulty coping with the extreme weather conditions of this planet. They easily managed to overpower the securities and guards. But Kaira don't know what the geth could want in this planet. And now the Controls informed them that a vessel is coming here with the purpose of Citadel business. She hoped that the Council is sending reinforcements to drive away the geth from this planet. This station is secure, for now. But the geth can attack this station any time. The situation is very tense here. She also hoped that this visit isn't about some stupid politics.

"Be careful, Sergeant Stirling. We aren't sure whether they are hostiles or not." The Captain advised Kaira as if she was a novice. Kaira would've rolled her eyes in different circumstances.

They reached the docks and saw that the vessel named Normandy has already landed. No sooner than they arrived the door of the Normandy and seven individuals stepped out from inside. There were three humans, two of them were females. There were also an Asari, a krogan, a turian and a quarian. All of them were armed to teeth but they didn't drew their guns on her. She sighed in relief that they weren't hostiles. Kaira noticed another male individual exiting the Normandy. Kaira gasped. The human male wore a black and red armor and there was an unmistakable N7 logo on his armored chest. He wasn't a huge man but he was extremely well built and extremely handsome. She recognized him as soon as she saw him. It was Commander John Shepard. She quickly straightened her hairs with her free hand. She eyed her boss from the corner of her eyes and saw that she was trying to fix her clothes and was trying very hard not to blush.

 _God! 'Handsome' is an understatement for his looks._ Kaira thought watching the Commander.

"We're not here to cause problems." Commander Shepard stated softly.

"This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials." Captain Maeko demanded.

Kaira's head snapped towards the Captain.

 _What is she doing?_

She understands that it's their duty to check the identity of everyone who arrives here but it's Commander Shepard.

"Also I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria." Maeko turned her head towards Kaira and ordered her to secure their weapons. Kaira hesitantly took one step forward and darkened skin woman in Shepard's team stepped in front of the Commander with her gun pointing at Kaira. The asari started to glow with her biotics and the others were all pointing their guns towards her and her boss.

"Don't even try." The woman warned in a cold voice.

"Let's not start a fight." Commander Shepard said placing a hand on the shoulder of the dark skinned woman.

Kaira saw with relief that at their Commander's request the entire team holstered their individual weapons. But the woman who stepped in front of the Commander was still glaring at her even if she lowered her gun and stepped back.

"Captain Matsuo! Stand down." A voice said from behind Kaira. She turned back to saw that it was Gianna Parasini, the ambassador's assistant. "We confirmed their identity, Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain." Gianna Parasini informed and quickly went upstairs.

"I was only doing my job. I hope you understand, Commander." Captain Maeko apologised after Gianna left.

"I understand, Captain. I would've done the same in your position." Commander Shepard replied calmly.

"Gianna Parasini will meet you upstairs, Commander." The Captain informed.

The Commander nodded and he went upstairs with his team at his toes. Kaira let out a sigh looking towards the direction where the Commander went. She still couldn't believe she just met _Commander Shepard._

 **UPSTAIRS**

"I am Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay." Gianna introduced herself.

"I appreciate your help." John replied.

"You're welcome. You understand our security officer was only doing her job. One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?" Gianna asked politely.

"Has anyone, unusual passed through here recently?" John asked.

"Unusual? Yeah… An asari Matriarch passed through a few days ago. Lady Benezia." Gianna informed. John could realized Liara stiffened beside him. He took her hand silently and gave a slight squeeze, telling her wordlessly that he is with her.

"Passed through? Where is she now?" Tali asked.

"Benezia left for the Peak 15 research complex days ago. To the best of my knowledge, she is still there." Gianna answered.

"How can we get there?" John asked.

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this post. His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator."

"Understood. Can we go in now?"

"Of course. If you need any help, I will be at the Administrator's office." Gianna informed.

After Gianna left them alone, Liara immediately pulled John away from others. John was surprised at her but he said nothing. He followed her as she wanted. He saw that she was looking nervous.

"What is it Liara?" John asked kindly.

"I imagine you want to talk to me about my mother, John." She said nervously.

"No. I don't need to, Liara. When I told you that I look upon you as my sister, I meant that in every way. You are part of my family, Liara." John said cupping her face with his hands.

Liara's eyes watered hearing his words. SHe hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, John. You don't know how much this means to me. It's true that my mother cared for me but never like this. It's just….. That I never felt so much loved in my life. I used to believe that all this human emotions were nonsense but now I know better. Knowing that you are beside me, it gave me a renewed strength." Liara confessed.

"I will always be there for you, Liara. It's what a family does, look after each other." John said after pulling back from her embrace and looking at her eyes.

"I….. I also understand another thing now." She said softly.

"And?" He asked.

"I understand from where you get the strength to fight and never give up. Her love for you keeps you going. Isn't it, John?" She said.

"You are right Liara. You are right."

Miranda saw Liara embracing Shepard and she felt something jolt inside her. When Liara dragged Shepard away she followed them silently. Watching the asari embracing Shepard she desperately wanted to hit something with her bare hands in anger. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dig into her palms and drew blood.

She couldn't understand why she is feeling so angry. She didn't care about whom Shepard loves, isn't it? No. Whom is she lying? She did care, a lot. Ever since the possibility of Shepard being her John entered her mind, she became overly protective of him. More than what she is tasked to do. If he is indeed her John, then no woman is allowed to touch him except her. Yeah, she is insanely possessive about him and she doesn't feel ashamed of it. He is hers, only hers in every possible way. She is now becoming to understand her feelings.

 _She is jealous._

 _Not now. Not now. Miranda get a hold of yourself and don't do anything stupid._ She thought to herself. But at that moment she couldn't help but feel jealous when she saw Liara embracing Shepard. It only ignited her fury. First Ashley Williams and now the asari.

 _Shit!_ She cursed silently.

 _ **A/N: I typed this down as quickly as possible from my diary after I lost my previous document. I hope you guys like this chapter. And as always, please review :-)**_


	20. Destination: Peak 15

John went to get a garage pass from the ambassador but Anoleis denied to give him a pass even after he stated that the situation is emergency. When he left the ambassador's office in defeat, he found that Gianna Parasini is standing there waiting for him. She told him that she could help him to get a garage pass and advised him to meet someone named Lorik Quiïn at the hotel bar. He did as Gianna told him to do since he had no other option. Lorik, turned out to be a turian, who introduced himself as the manager of the Local Synthetic Insights Office. He revealed that his office is closed by Anoleis as he suspects Lorik to be be corrupted but Lorik revealed he isn't involved in criminal activity, it was the ambassador himself. Lorik even managed to get some evidence regarding the ambassador's illegal activities. Lorik also said that Anoleis hired goons to make sure the evidence is destroyed. He requested John to get the evidence from his office and drive the goons away with minimum bloodshed. Wrex grunted at this request since he was itching to get his hands on the hired mercenaries. Lorik said that if John helps him he will give his garage pass to John as a favor for favor. When John agreed Lorik said that the goons are the security team of the Hanshan port who were hired by Anoleis but Captain Matsuo wasn't aware of this activities. Lorik also let John know where the evidence is and how to extract it when he handed his office pass to John.

When the team exited from the elevator on the upper floor they were stopped by the security team outside Lorik's office. John told them to stay away from his way but they didn't listen to him. Instantly sounds of gunshots filled the area. The security team were superior in number but they weren't' match for the Normandy team. Garrus took out several with his sniper and Tali watched his back with her shotgun and tech powers. She sent a combat drone behind the security team and took them out from behind. Wrex was waiting for this moment for too long. He let put a growl and charged at the enemies. He tackled six guards at once and crushed them to the wall with his body. He took a few shots in the process but they were absorbed by his shield and armor. He left the crushed bodies and charged at the other enemies with his shotgun in his hand. Ashley and Kaidan were shooting from covers and taking out merc after merc combining gun and biotics. Liara and Miranda didn't have heavy fire power but both of them had powerful biotics which was enough. Liara cast a singularity at a group of mercs who were shooting at them from behind a large cover. With the force of the singularity they begin to float helplessly above the ground. Miranda took the chance and detonated the singularity with a warp attack. The force of the blast instantly killed majority of the mercs who were caught in the singularity field and those who weren't dead they had broken bodies. The detonation force was so powerful, they broke their bodies when they impacted on the wall. John didn't had to raise his gun. He saw his team with pride in in his eyes as they took down merc after merc. Within few minutes every merc either lay dead or unconscious. John gave them a smile telling them silently that he is proud of them. They returned his smile. Ashley could feel her cheeks growing warm. Garrus arrogantly placed the sniper on his shoulder and returned John's smile with a cocky smirk. John just shook his head with a smile at Garrus' reaction. Tali kept glaring at Garrus from under her helmet which he ignored. Wrex seemed satisfied with the fight and Liara just stood behind John, placing her hand on his shoulder. Kaidan just stood there with a small smile. Miranda had to accept the fact that if there is any team that can take down Saren, it's them. At first she had doubts about this team but now all of her doubts are gone. She admitted to herself that this team is best and it's only because of one man. There is no doubt that everyone in the team is talented but without their Commander to lead them in battle, they would have been lost.

On their way back to Lorik Quiïn, Gianna requested John to meet her before he returns the evidence to Lorik. Later, she turned out to be undercover for months as Anoleis' assistant who was trying to find evidence to arrest Anoleis. She requested John to convince Lorik to testify against the board and she will make arrangement for the garage pass. John said that he will do it but not for the garage pass, but to put an end to Anoleis' illegal activities. John managed to convince Lorik to testify in front of the board against Anoleis. They waited for few minutes to see Gianna arrest Anoleis. After few minutes they saw Gianna has arrested Anoleis and pulling him away. Anoleis was protesting but Gianna pushed him forward. As she passed by John she said, "I owe you a beer, Commander."

 **FEW MINUTES LATER, AT THE GARAGE**

"Lorik was right. The weather is terrible indeed." Kaidan said, observing the snow through the Mako's side glass.

"And on top of that a lot of geth is waiting for us." Ashley cut in.

"We should keep this Mako intact at all cost. Without this, we won't be able to survive a minute out there." John said.

"This seems fun. A lot of geth to kill." Wrex said.

"You call this fun? I wish I was in some party getting drinks and hitting on hot women." Garrus said dreamily. Then there was a sound of flesh meeting flesh and an "Ouch!" from Garrus as Tali punched him hard in his arms.

Miranda wasn't concentrating much on their banter but the word 'Party' hit her hard and brought back a particular old memory. The memory was about a party where she and John went together. He was invited by his employer and was asked to bring a friend with him. When he asked her she agreed at once and was pretty excited. She turned her thoughts to that day…

 **14 YEARS AGO**

"John, are you sure I am looking okay?" Miranda asked John uncertainly, who was walking beside her.

"Miri, you are looking stunning." He replied with a smile.

She believed him. And if his words weren't true his occasional glances were a dead giveaway that he couldn't keep his eyes away from her. She smiled and kissed his cheek appreciatively, "Thank you, John and you are looking quite handsome too." She whispered. She smiled inwardly as saw him turn red.

"Shall we?" He asked extending his hand towards her at the entrance of the party. She smiled and eagerly took his hand. They entered the party hand in hand. When other people's gaze fell on them, they shamelessly stared at them. Young girls stared at John and the boys were practically drooling watching Miranda. Older people whispered among themselves that how beautiful and adorable they looked together. John introduced Miranda with his employer Mr. David Levinson. They had a pleasant chat for some time until Mr. Levinson had to excuse himself to attend to other guests. Then the music started and everyone started to walk towards the dance floor.

"John, come on! Let's dance!" Miranda said pulling his hand in excitement.

"Erm….." He hesitated.

Seeing his hesitation Miranda's excitement turned to concern. "John, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I am okay. It's just….." He hesitated again. Actually he was totally embarrassed.

"John, you know you can tell me anything." She said softly cupping his face in her hands.

"I…. I can't dance." He confessed and his face turned red in embarrassment.

"That's what you were worried about?" She asked and he nodded. She smiled. "You are an ass! Come on, I will teach you."

"What if I step on your feet?"

"You won't and if you do it won't matter. Now, let's go." She said and started to pull him towards the dance floor. Miranda took his left hand in hers and placed his right hand on her waist. She watched in amusement his cheeks were turning red again.

 _He is so adorable and sweet._

She leaned up and whispered in his ears, "Don't blush John. We kissed remember and I am your girlfriend. You have the right to touch me."

He let out a full smile hearing her words. Slowly they started to dance. She showed him the steps but he kept on faltering. She saw that he was trying very hard not to step on her feet and was losing concentration.

"Stop worrying, so much." She whispered.

For several minutes she taught him how to dance. He stepped on her feet a few minutes and apologized to her repeatedly. She told him not to worry about that and concentrate on the dance steps that she was teaching him.

"Can we stop now?" He asked her with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Okay." She said.

"Wait. I'll get our drinks." John said and walked towards the bar to get their drinks leaving Miranda standing there alone. She was watching other couples dancing on the floor when she felt someone clearing his throat behind her. She turned around to see a boy with blonde hair looking at her. He looked at least 4 years older than her. From his dress and other things she deduced that this boy is from a rich family.

"May I have this dance?" He asked her politely, extending his hand towards her. She hesitated at first but agreed when she felt that it would be rude to turn him away. They both reached the dance floor and started to dance slowly.

"I am Daniel. What's your name?" He asked her.

"Miranda." She replied.

"Beautiful name. Who's that guy you came with?" He asked her.

"I don't think I am not obliged to answer you that." She retorted back angrily. She was liking this boy less and less. She could tell that his eyes were roaming over her body with hunger and lust. She felt his hand grazing the side of her breasts. She pushed him away from her immediately in anger. "Hey! Keep your hands at the right place."

He instantly mumbled an apology to her but she could tell that he wasn't sorry at all. He did it with purpose. Miranda huffed in annoyance but she kept on dancing but she warned the boy to keep his hands at the right place.

In the meantime, John returned with their drinks. He looked around as he couldn't find Miranda where he left her. After looking around for few seconds he spotted her on the dance floor. Immediately his face darkened as he saw her dancing with someone else. He wasn't angry with her for dancing with someone else, he was angry at the boy with whom she was dancing. But, he was _jealous._ He didn't like the way that boy was looking at her and the way his hands were roaming over her body. His stopped glaring at them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a girl around his age was looking at him with a smile on her face and he couldn't help but notice that she was quite beautiful but she was nothing compared to Miri.

"Yes?" He asked her.

"Would you like to dance with me?" She asked him.

"Erm. I think you should ask someone else." He said. "No! No! Please." He said watching the expression of hurt on her face. "Don't get me wrong. I am not declining you. It's just that I can't dance."

"Really? But don't worry. I'll teach you. Come on." She said encouragingly.

"What about this?" He said indicating the glasses in his hand. The girl immediately snatched the glass away from his hand and gulped down the drink quickly. "Now, let's go."

John gulped down his drink and followed her to the dance floor. They started to dance but the girl pressed herself to his body much to his discomfort.

While dancing with the stranger, Miranda was wondering why John isn't back yet with the drinks. She looked towards the bar and saw that he wasn't there. She frowned and looked around for him. Suddenly her eyes fell on him. She couldn't help but tightened her grip on Daniel's hand in anger and jealousy when she saw how the girl was trying to seduce John and John being John didn't realize it.

"Ow!" He exclaimed in pain.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked her.

"Yeah. I am okay." Miranda said while glaring daggers at the girl's back.

Daniel saw Miranda glaring at someone towards his back and she was pretty much distracted. He looked towards his back to see that his ex-girlfriend Sophie is trying to seduce the boy she is dancing with. He is the same boy who came with Miranda. He watched him carefully and realized that he knew that boy. His name is John, an orphan who works at Mr. Levinson's shop. He let out an arrogant smile because he knew once Sophie knew about who that boy is, she will humiliate him in front of everyone and he won't pass away the opportunity to see him humiliated.

"Hey, Sophie! You didn't get anyone to dance with you other than that poor orphan?" He said arrogantly.

Sophie immediately stopped dancing and pushed John away from her roughly. John staggered back.

"What did you just say?" She asked angrily.

"What you heard is right. He is just a poor orphan kid."

"Shit!" She cursed and turned to John who was looking at her confused. "How did you dare to dance with me? Huh!?" She yelled.

"But you asked me to….." He tried to say.

"Shut up!" She cut him off. At this time everyone was watching them. "You thought that since you dressed well for the party it will change the fact that you are a beggar?"

Miranda was watching the whole scenario quietly. She was already angry at the girl for trying to seduce John but now she is furious. She could see that John's eyes are beginning to fill with tears. She could see how much that girl was hurting him and she knew when anyone calls him orphan it hurts him most because the incident of his parents leaving him at the orphanage was a sore subject for him.

 _How dare she hurt him and in front of me?_ She thought in anger.

In the meantime Sophie was humiliating him more and more. John couldn't take it anymore, he walked away from the party with tears in his eyes. This time Miranda couldn't control herself anymore. She walked straight at Sophie, turned her around and slapped her hard across the face. Sophie tumbled back in surprise from the sudden slap.

"You dare hurt him? How could you say such things to someone?" Miranda yelled angrily. "When you didn't know that he isn't rich like you, you saw him as a handsome boy and tried to seduce him." Sophie was about to open her mouth to protest but she felt another slap on her cheek.

"Don't try to deny it. I saw everything." Miranda glared at her. "This is your first and last warning girl. If I ever find that you insulted him again, I will break your pretty face." Miranda warned in a cold voice.

Sophie gulped in fear and stepped back. Before Miranda followed John, she turned back and walked towards Daniel. He looked towards Miranda and thought that perhaps she likes him. He leaned forward to embrace her but instead of a hug he received a kick at his groin. He yelled out in pain and fell on the ground clutching his groin.

"Jerk." Miranda spat and left the party.

 _ **THAT NIGHT**_

Miranda was sitting on her bed with her back against the headboard and John was lying beside her with his head on her lap and his arms round her waist.

"Why everyone brings it up, Miri? Why?" He murmured in a broken voice.

"I don't know John. I really don't. But… I know this is difficult, but you should forget about this and let it go." She tried to soothe him.

"Give me some time, Miri. And with you beside me I will." He paused. "Miri, don't leave me ever. I don't know what I will do without you."

"I won't John. And one day you will see the people who hates you now will do anything to get a glimpse of you." She said softly. She didn't made this up to calm him down, she said it because she believed what she said. "And girl's like that blonde bimbo will run after you to get your affection. So don't be sad."

"I am not upset about that Miri. Besides I don't care whether other girls looks at me o not. I only care about you. I only want you and no one else."

Miranda smiled at his words. "It better be that way. If any girl tried to lay a hand on you in future, first I will break her and then I'll break you." She replied playfully but with hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Someone is jealous." He chuckled.

Miranda swatted his shoulder playfully. "You are an ass, but you are mine." She replied showing signs of possessiveness.

"Miri, you are my angel, you know." He said out of nowhere after sometime, just before he fell asleep.

She smiled and looked down at his peaceful sleeping face. "And you are my hero, John, whom I can always trust to have my back." She murmured and kissed the back of his head lightly. She gently lifted his head up and placed his head on the pillow. She slowly lay down beside him and snuggled close to the warmth of his body. Even in his sleep he pulled her towards him instinctively. Miranda smiled to herself and slowly fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

 **PRESENT TIME**

Miranda got out of her thoughts as the Mako shook violently.

"Shields down at 50%" Garrus informed.

"We should try to dodge those missiles." Ashley said.

"There are too many turrets to avoid. Take them out damn it!" John said.

They managed to destroy those turrets and push forward. By the time they reached Peak 15 smoke was rising from the Mako. They encountered hundreds of geth on the way, several turrets and several geth Armature which were particularly hard to take out since those damn things can regenerate their armor. They entered the facility with their guns ready. Suddenly they heard a strange noise which was closing in.

"What the hell are those things?" Ashley said, her eyes wide.

"Rachni….." Wrex answered.


	21. Shepard is down!

"Rachni!" Wrex grumbled.

John was ahead of the others and one of the creatures got too close to him. He shot it, and it got killed but not before bursting and releasing poisonous gas. He couldn't avoid it and took the gas in. The effect started immediately, he could see his vision was going hazy and he couldn't make out what his teammates were saying. Everything became blurry to him.

Miranda saw John got affected by the gas and he started to stumble in his steps. Soon, she saw his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped down on the ground with his back against the wall. Before anyone could reach him, she was at his side checking his vitals. Liara reached to John next. She cupped his face and tried to wake him up.

"He inhaled a lot of gas." Wrex said.

"We have some antidote in the Mako, get them quickly!" Miranda shouted.

"I'll get them." Garrus said and within the blink of an eye he was gone.

"How is he holding up?" Ashley whispered with worried eyes.

"Not good. Not good." Miranda mumbled under her breath. _Come on Shepard, hold on._

Suddenly he began to take deep breaths. His chest was rising up and down with his effort to breather.

"Shit! He is struggling to breath." Liara cursed.

"Someone give him a CPR!" Kaidan shouted.

"Let m…" Ashley was about to say but she stopped as she saw Alicia has already placed her lips on Commander's and begin to do the CPR. Ashley knew it was necessary but she couldn't help but feel insanely jealous.

Miranda knew she had to do the CPR but when she placed her lips on his, she felt as if she knew the taste of his lips. She ignored it for the moment and begin to pump air into his lungs. At that moment Garrus was back with the antidote.

Miranda separated her lips from his. "Liara give him the antidote." She said and again proceeded to do the CPR.

Liara nodded and pushed the antidote in his veins after pulling away the armor from his hand. "I hope this works." She said. Garrus squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She turned to him and let out a small sad smile.

Liara felt helpless. She couldn't let him go, ever. She can't deny that at first when she interacted with him in the Normandy she felt attracted to him. Slowly, she got over that feeling and got close to him as a friend and that turned into something more, _love._ The love was anything but romantic. It was a bond which formed between the two of them and she couldn't express the feelings, even to herself. She looked down at the still form of the man lying on the ground, who made her feel for the first time in her life that she isn't alone in this galaxy. She prayed silently for the antidote to work. She looked up to see that Alicia was still doing the CPR and there is….. _Is it really? Can it be?_ Liara swore she saw tears dropping from Alicia's eyes. But when Alicia looked at Liara, her expression was stony as it always was, there was no sign of any emotion.

As Miranda was doing the CPR, her heart was breaking at the thought that Shepard could die now. She couldn't help but let a single drop of tear fall from her eyes. And that was her mistake. She could realize that Liara had saw her tears. She turned her expression emotionless, like an _Ice Queen_ , the title she earned in Cerberus. From this moment Miranda knew she cannot let this man die because somehow he captured a place in her heart despite her feelings for John and that made her more confused and conflicted than ever.

She panicked when she realized he has stopped breathing.

 _No! No! No! No! He can't die. Fate can't be that cruel to her, can it?_

She separated her lips from his and lay him down on the floor.

"Liara! Pump his heart!" Miranda almost yelled in panic. Liara hesitated a little since she isn't familiar with the process. Miranda was out of patience. "Now!" She yelled. Liara flinched. Ashley came forward and started to pump his heart. Satisfied, Miranda again pressed her lips to his and started to push air into his lungs.

 _Come on! Come on! Breathe! Damn it!_

Suddenly he coughed out loud in her mouth. She pulled back in surprise and without her noticing a huge grin formed on her face. She saw that he was breathing evenly now. She checked his pulse and it was almost normal. She let out a sigh in relief.

"What should we do now? He is no condition to go on and we cannot leave him here." Tali asked.

"Kaidan you are the second in command. It's your call." Garrus said.

Kaidan thought for a moment and then said, "We should move ahead."

"What!?" Ashley asked almost outraged.

"He would have wanted this. Trust me. I know the Commander." Kaidan replied.

"But we can't just leave him here. He can get killed." Liara said.

"No we aren't leaving him here. We will leave him inside the Mako. He will be safe there until we get back." Kaidan offered.

"Someone should stay back with him." Ashley offered.

"We cannot afford that Ashley since we don't know what danger lies ahead. We will need everyone out there. It's unfortunate that the Commander will not be there to lead us. I don't know if we can do this without him." Kaidan said with his head down.

Garrus placed a hand on Kaidan's shoulder. "I trust you Kaidan and I am willing to follow you in battle like the way I followed him." Garrus said indicating John's unconscious form.

"I am willing to follow you too human." Wrex grumbled. The others also nodded.

Kaidan sighed. "Alright guys. But before we go ahead I would like to say one thing." He paused and looked at his teammates.

"I am no Commander Shepard." Kaidan said.

"Kaidan, we believe in you and Shepard always told us how good you are. Believe me I am not making this up. He is proud of you Kaidan." Garrus said.

Kaidan let out a small smile. "Alright let's secure the Commander first."

Wrex gently lift up John's body in his arms and carried him to the Mako. He placed John down on the back seat gently. Miranda, Liara and Tali gently positioned his body on the seat properly, so he won't fall down in his sleep. Liara caressed his face lovingly, like a sister would to her brother. Ashley looked at his unconscious face with worried eyes and slowly followed Liara to outside. Tali also placed her hand on his forehead and stayed like that for a few seconds until Garrus placed his hand on her shoulder gently assuring her that nothing would happen to him. After Tali left Garrus took John's hand in his and murmured, "Be safe, brother!" and left. Wrex and Kaidan also followed him but Miranda stayed behind. She bent down beside him and kissed his forehead gently. She didn't want to leave him like this…. Vulnerable. Since she never saw him this vulnerable. He was always so strong and full of life and courage. There was always an aura of strength around him. But now he looks so little and lost. Miranda was about to get up and leave but she stopped when her eyes fell on something. She slowly reached towards his hand and brought it closer to her face.

 _There is something inside his hand. He is holding something._

She tried to open his fingers but she couldn't. Even when he is unconscious his grip is stronger than anyone she has ever seen.

"Come on John, let me see." She murmured pleadingly. She didn't notice that she called him as 'John' instead of 'Shepard'. As if answering to her call his fingers loosened and she retrieved the small thing from his hand. Her eyes widened seeing the object. It was her locket that she lost in Feros.

 _But how on earth it came in his possession? And more important than that why did he kept it with him and not merely kept it, he even held it in his arms even when he was dying as if it was the most precious thing to him in the galaxy. This could mean only one thing._

Her heart started to race faster than ever in anticipation.  
 _Is it true what I suspected? Is he really? Yes, he is. He is. He is her John. Otherwise he wouldn't have kept it._

A huge smile appeared on her face. She was so happy that she couldn't explain. But then she remembered Shepard's character. It is his character to help people and even those he had no connection with.

 _Yeah it's probably that. He probably picked it up hoping that it is important to someone else and he wanted to return it if he found that person or someone close to him or her. Yeah it is that. How can I even think that Commander Shepard is my John?_

Even though she assured herself in her mind that he is not her John, her heart was telling otherwise.

 _Why? Why now?_ She sobbed burying her face in his shoulder. She realized that she couldn't stand this feeling for any longer. She need to stay away from him to calm herself. She took the locket away from his hand and quickly left the Mako without looking back after removing the tears from her face. Because if she looked back she knew she wouldn't be able to leave again. When she was outside the Mako, she saw Garrus was looking at her with questioning eyes.

"What took you so long?" Garrus asked politely.

"I was….. Nothing. Let's go." Miranda stuttered because she couldn't lie at that time. She was too emotional at that moment to lie calmly. Then she walked past Garrus, Liara and Tali and followed Kaidan and Ashley who were trying to call the elevator a few steps ahead.

"What was that about?" Garrus asked looking towards Liara and Tali.

It was Liara who answered because she suspected something. "I think she is in _love_."

"What!?" Garrus and Tali almost yelled in unison.

 _ **Note: This chapter is short than the previous chapters and I am sorry for that. Please don't think that I am rushing things. I just wanted this part to be in a separated chapter, that's all. Please, review and I am slowly re-posting my previous chapters which are revised by Jurbio.**_


	22. The Matriarch

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

A man was sitting in his chair puffing a cigar. There was a large glass in front of him through which a large star was visible. The room was almost dark except few holograms. A door chimed open behind the man and another man came in. His face couldn't be seen in the dark but it could be seen that there was a sword which on his back which was shining because of the light from the star.

"Facility in Noveria is compromised. She will be there. Make it look like the scientists have gone rogue." The man said who was sitting in the chair.

"Anything else sir?" The man asked who just entered the room.

"No. Just make sure she doesn't come to know about your presence in Noveria. You have eight hours until they reach there." The man sitting in the chair replied.

"Consider it done, sir."

"I don't expect anything less from you, _Kai Leng_."

The man named Kai Leng, gave a nod and left the room.

"I am sorry, Miranda. You cannot know about this and I cannot let you." The man muttered to himself.

 **NOVERIA, PEAK 15**

The elevator ride was slow and long. Kaidan could see that one or two of his team-mates are becoming quite restless. Especially Urdnot Wrex. He wholeheartedly wished that the krogan remains in control because if he loses his patience or something else goes wrong he will probably do something stupid and no one can pursue him otherwise. The only one who could have, is not with them now. Kaidan sighed internally. He didn't wanted this. When he told them that he isn't Shepard, he meant that. He realized that Garrus was looking at him with a questioning gaze. He assured him silently that he is okay, _at least for now._ Kaidan looked at Liara. Her face looked worried. He knew that she and Shepard is very close but he knew that it isn't anything romantic, they are like siblings and that could be said for Garrus and Tali, too. Even Wrex is also looking worried. He looked at Ashley and saw that she is barely holding herself against going back to Shepard's side. He felt sad for her. He could that Ashley has some real feelings for Shepard but Shepard never returned it but he wasn't ever rude to her, instead he was friendly with her. Kaidan could proudly speak of himself as one of Shepard's men, whom he trusts most. But among all these he couldn't figure out that woman - Alicia. She is strange. One time she is cold and next time she is so caring for Shepard that it seems no one cares about him more than she does. Kaidan knew that it's only because of her Shepard is still alive and he is grateful for that and truth be told he already to trust her in some level. But he could tell that she surely has some secrets, which sometimes concerns him for the team's safety. He even told Shepard but he seems to trust her explicitly, so Kaidan didn't bothered Shepard anymore. Instead he himself kept eyes on her whereabouts and because of that he found her occasionally missing from the Normandy after the Normandy lands somewhere. He wanted to tell this to Shepard, but thought better of it and decided to wait and keep watch on her for a little longer. Now he could see that she is more anxious than Ashley to go back to Shepard's side. He could tell it from her body language and the expression on her face. Kaidan's thoughts broke as the elevator door opened and the team exited.

No sooner than they exited they were ambushed by small spider like creatures, coming out from the vents on the floor. Wrex didn't need to be told. He already started firing on those little creatures with his shotgun. He even squashed some of them under his legs. But they were too many even for Wrex to handle alone. Garrus tossed an inferno grenade and took out at least four of them at once. He put his sniper rifle at his back and started to fire with the assault rifle. Tali was helping them with her combat drone and occasionally taking out some of those creatures with her shotgun. Ashley was doing her job pretty well. She was taking them down one after another with her rifle and shotgun. Liara and Alicia was a sight to be seen though. Both of their biotics did amazing job. They both took out at least ten creatures at once in the same way they killed the mercs outside Lorik's office, a combination of Singularity and Warp. The resulting explosion killed several creatures. Kaidan himself killed several with his biotics and guns. But this creatures seems endless as they keep on coming from the vents. Suddenly Kaidan tripped as he felt something hit his leg from behind. He fell down hard on the floor and gun jerked away from his hand and landed a few feet away. He turned back while on the ground that a creature is on top of him and ready to attack. His eyes widened. But suddenly the creature froze in its place as a biotic field enveloped it. He quickly stood up on his feet and took it out with few shots from his pistol.

"Thanks, Doctor T'Soni." Kaidan said.

She acknowledged her presence and said with a small smile, "Just Liara."

"Okay… Liara. Thanks." Kaidan said while shooting.

After few more minutes the enemy wave was clear.

"Phew!" Garrus let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." Tali said. Liara nodded. Even Wrex seemed to be panting. But Alicia looked calm even though she was breathing heavily. Her expression stony.

"What were those things?" Garrus asked.

"Rachni!" Wrex said.

"Don't know how many more we will have to face, again." Ashley said.

Kaidan looked around and saw that there were several doors but they were all locked but there was a terminal at front of them. When he tried to switch on the VI in the terminal he realized that the whole system is somehow turned off, and in order to proceed they have to restart it.

"I am checking the terminal and see if I can start the system." Tali offered.

After few seconds of looking she stepped back from the terminal defeated.

"There's nothing I can do. We have to restart the system from somewhere else." Tali revealed.

"Great. Just great." Garrus mumbled.

"Why don't we check there?" Alicia said indicating a large round terminal at front of them.

Tali, Kaidan and Alicia stepped forward. When they reached the terminal they found nothing to which they could interact. Tali looked confused.

"Something must be here." She muttered and stepped forward. As she stepped on forward the platform begin to descend with her. "What the….?" It came to a halt after descending a few feet and Tali saw the switches to restart the VI system.

"Tali, you okay down there?" Kaidan asked from above.

"I'm okay. It's alright. I found the switches." She assured.

With few strokes of Tali's finger the VI on the terminal activated.

 **A FEW MINUTES LATER**

"It looks like you're trying to restore this facility. Would you like help?" The VI asked Kaidan after it was activated.

"Help would be great. Who are you?" Kaidan said.

"This system is monitored to respond to the name 'Mira'. May I ask your name?" The VI replied.

"I am Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, second in command of Commander Shepard." Kaidan said.

"One moment please…." The VI paused. "Identity confirmed. Access denied." The VI said after few seconds.

"Denied? Why?" Ashley asked.

"Council Spectre is required to access help. However I may assist you in direction." The VI replied.

"Well at least she will help in the direction." Garrus commented.

"That won't be much help since we don't know where Benezia is." Liara said.

"You are right Liara. But we can get the VI's help to open the damn doors." Tali said.

"Can you open the doors for us?" Kaidan said.

"One moment….. Access granted." The VI said and the doors behind it opened.

"But how will we know which way Benezia went?" Wrex questioned.

"She went through here." Alicia said standing in front of the last door at the right.

"How can you be so sure?" Ashley asked narrowing her eyes.

"If you see carefully you can see footprints on the ground in front of the door. There are no footprints anywhere else." Alicia replied pointing towards the ground.

"You are right. Good job, Alicia." Kaidan appreciated her observation. Then he turned towards the VI and asked, "Where do this way lead us?"

"This door will lead you to the tram station from where you can take a tram to go to Binary Helix lab. But the tram is offline. To board the tram you have to start the system online from the roof and then fix the pipelines." The VI replied.

"Not again…." Garrus groaned.

 **LATER ON THE ROOF**

"Take out the one on our left." Kaidan shouted.

"Wrex!" Tali yelled.

Wrex threw away his shotgun and charged towards the bigger Rachni creature. Wrex bumped his skull against the Rachni creature. It toppled on the ground screeching in pain. But Wrex didn't waste any time. He lifted the creature over his head and threw it towards the smaller ones. Ashley threw an inferno grenade at them which blew some of them apart and put the remaining ones on flame. The last creature died with a loud screeching noise and blowing apart into pieces.

"Looks like this is the end of them." Ashley said.

"Everyone okay?" Kaidan asked.

"Tali is not. One of the creatures ruptured her suit." Liara said from Tali's side. She was looking over her wounds.

"Nothing to worry about. I am not hurt. It's just my suit." Tali said.

Kaidan moved towards the switch and Liara kept on fixing Tali's suit. Kaidan successfully restarted the system and Liara fixed Tali's suit.

"We should keep pushing forward. We still need to fix the pipelines." Kaidan said.

 **A FEW MOMENTS LATER**

After restarting the system the team took the elevator down to fix the pipelines so they could reach the labs. But as they exited the elevator they were ambushed by geth. Ashley took a shot on her left shoulder.

"Ahh!" She groaned in pain.

Liara ran to her side immediately and started to apply medi-gel. But before she could heal Ashley a small missile blasted them apart. Ashley was already injured, so after the blow from the missile she lost consciousness from her injury and loss of blood. On the other hand from the blast of the force Liara got smashed hard on the opposite wall. She saw stars in front of her eyes after she slid down on the ground.

"Liara! Ashley!" Kaidan yelled while firing at the geth. Wrex grabbed two geth at once and threw them down from the platform. He kicked another one down and emptied his shotgun in its head. But then he took a shot at his leg and fell on the ground clutching his leg with a groan. Garrus toppled another geth from top of the platform with a heavy concussive shot. Tali managed to hack one of the geth and turned it against its own kind. But it was temporary. The hacked geth was killed easily by the other geth. Tali didn't stop though. She killed one with overload and send an attack drone towards the remaining geth. The drone didn't do much damage. It was taken out by the geth. Garrus and Kaidan used the distraction. Garrus took one out with a clean headshot and Kaidan rolled a grenade right at their feet. The blast killed two of them instantly and the remaining ones fell down from the platform.

The three of them didn't wait to get to their injured teammates. Kaidan went towards Wrex, Garrus and Tali went to Liara and Tali. When the duo reached Liara and Ashley they saw that Liara is already up and helping Alicia in patching up Ashley.

Tali bent down on her knees beside Liara. "Liara, you okay?" Tali asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes. I am okay. Alicia patched me well." She smiled at Tali.

"She is proving herself quite useful, don't you think?" Tali whispered in Liara's ears.

"Indeed." Liara whispered back.

"I am sorry." Kaidan said out of nowhere.

"What are you talking about Kaidan? And why are you sorry?" Garrus asked.

"It's because of me that my team got hurt. I was not good enough to lead and I knew that. Now I realize why he is unique." Kaidan said.

"Nonsense! You did great Kaidan. We didn't get hurt because of you." Tali said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Kaidan watched their reaction for few seconds and let out a sigh. "Very well. Let's move."

 **LATER AT THE RIFT STATION**

As the team exited the elevator they found themselves surrounded by armed men. When the armed men realized that they were human they lowered their guns.

"Sorry. We couldn't be sure what was on the tram." One of the armed men said.

"I would have done the same. What's going on here?" Kaidan said.

"Bugs. Zillions of them, coming up the tunnels from the hot labs. My team is running on stims for days." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Look. You're human, and that's enough that I won't shoot. But I'd like to know who you are."

"I am Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, second in command of Commander Shepard. We are here on council business." Kaidan introduced himself and the team.

"Co… Commander Shepard. You mean THE COMMANDER SHEPARD?" He said as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Aye."

"Where is he?"

"He isn't here. Okay, alright I guess. Uh… I am Captain Ventralis." The Captain introduced himself and shook hands with Kaidan. "So yeah, the aliens overrun the hot labs last week. Only Han Olar got out, and he ain't all there anymore. The first we knew, the bastards were clawing into my command post. We had a lot more staff then."

"You were taken by surprise and had civilians to protect. You did a good job, Captain." Kaidan said.

"Yeah? Sure as hell doesn't feel like it. The board sent an asari to clean up the mess. She went to the hot labs yesterday. We haven't heard from her since." The Captain informed.

"We are not going to let any of your people die, Captain." Kaidan assured him.

He shook his head defeated and sighed. "All I can do is hold out here and protect the civilians. There is an emergency elevator out by the trams." He paused and handed Kaidan a card. "This card will let you activate it. It can take you down to the hot labs. And if you need any first aid, Dr. Cohen is downstairs in the med bay."

Kaidan nodded and started to move towards the elevator but he stopped as he heard loud screeching noises.

"Shit, they are coming again. Men, be ready." The Captain said. No sooner than the words left his mouth the area became flooded with Rachni creatures. Bullets, biotics covered the area. No sooner than they cleared the wave, more emerged from tunnels.

"We have to seal those exit points somehow." Kaidan said.

While firing and keeping the bugs away Wrex with Alicia's instruction pushed forward. He lifted a huge metal cover from the ground easily and placed it on the exit point of the tunnel. He did the same to the other exit points also. Captain Ventralis' men quickly placed heavy boxes on top of them so the Rachni's couldn't come through the tunnels anymore.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Captain Ventralis said. "Every few hours, a group comes out from the tram tunnel. It actually better since we locked down the elevator."

"We need to get going Captain and we will do our best to stop this." Kaidan said and walked towards the elevator without wasting any time.

 **DOWN AT THE LAB**

The team exited the elevator and looked around.

"No one is here." Ashley said looking around.

"Something bad happened here." Tali said.

Suddenly Liara shouted. "Look! Someone is lying there." She said indicating towards a corner. They all hurried towards the body lying on the ground. The body was of a man and his outfit was indicating that he was one of the scientist in the lab. Kaidan carefully turned him around.

The man was clearly dead for some time now. There was a large wound right at his chest. It looked like something sharp went through his chest and pierced his heart. Everyone was looking around for some clues, except one. Miranda was totally shocked seeing the face of the dead man because she knew this man. His name is Dr. Yaroslev Tartakovsky. He worked for Cerberus.

 _So what was he doing here? Cerberus couldn't be involved, they couldn't be._

Meanwhile, Kaidan found some notes from the man's pockets. He searched in the notes for some clues and what he found made him angrier than ever.

"Cerberus." He hissed angrily.

"What is that?" Liara asked curiously.

"A terrorist organization. In the name of humanity they do foul things, horrible things." Ashley answered with a frown on her face.

Kaidan threw away the notes angrily. Tali spotted a computer on a desk. She immediately started hacking it and recovered the data in her omni-tool.

"Look what I found." Tali announced grabbing everyone's attention.

The data showed that Dr. Tartakovsky left Cerberus with some of his own men and started to work here and they are the one who are experimenting on a Rachini egg. They found several in a derelict Rachni ship but only one of them hatched. Binary Helix was planning to clone rachni. Mass- produce them and create an army. But when they got the egg they realized it was not a common rachni egg but a queen. After the queen lays eggs they were trying to raise the babies to be their obedient but that was the worst decision they made. After that everything fell apart. The data also explained that there is no way to save the rachnis, they needed to be destroyed by setting off a neutron purge.

After hearing this Miranda let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"This is monstrous!" Ashley said in disgust.

"Did you expect anything else from Cerberus?" Kaidan asked.

"They exactly weren't Cerberus." Liara said.

"We can't be sure. This can be one of their plans to stay out from the problem they created." Kaidan replied.

"But where is the code?" Tali asked.

"Check the notes again." Kaidan said.

"Here it is. But first we must find Benezia." Liara said.

"We already got it. She is in the labs and we have to go up again to get to the lab." Alicia said.

"Let's go team." Kaidan ordered.

When the team reached the upper level and tried to get to the labs Captain Ventralis and his team blocked their way.

"We cannot let you in the labs, Lieutenant. Benezia's order." The Captain said.

"You betrayed us." Kaidan hissed angrily.

Ashley was not patient. Her fist connected right at Ventralis' jaw. He fell on the ground groaning in pain. His men started to fire but they were no match for the Normandy team. Soon all of them were killed including the Captain.

 **LATER, IN THE LAB**

When the team entered the lab, they saw Benezia. She was standing with her back on them. Her gaze was on a huge creature which was trapped behind a glass. They realized it was none other than the queen of the Rachni.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it towards happiness or despair. Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." Benezia said coldly without looking at them.

And when she turned around her body started to glow with her biotics. "And I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation." Benezia said again.

"Liara is here because she wants to be. Not because I asked her to." Kaidan said.

"Indeed? What have you told him about me, Liara?" Benezia asked.

"What could I say, mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?" Liara replied sadly.

Benezia snorted. "Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have. Now face their wrath, including mine." The words left her mouth and immediately an asari commando unit entered the lab. Liara ignored them and went straight for her mother. But Benezia cast a powerful shield to protect herself which Liara couldn't penetrate. Soon she was thrown back on the ground.

"There is no way you can win today, daughter." Benezia taunted.

True to her words the Normandy team was overwhelmed from the combined attack of asari commando unit and the Matriarch herself. Wrex was lifted off his feet and thrown to against the wall. He slid down the wall groaning in pain. Ashley was disarmed and one asari kicked in her stomach hard. She yelled in pain and fell to the ground. Kaidan tried to save her but he was taken down by the Matriarch herself. Next Tali and Garrus were also taken down. Only Alicia remained standing on her feet, but she was also wounded and panting heavily. One asari commando attacked her with biotics which she avoided and countered it with a powerful warp bringing the asari to her knees.

"Enough!" Benezia shouted and with biotic blast she threw Alicia few feet away. "Your game is over, human." Then she hurled a warp at the human female.

Miranda was too wounded and exhausted to avoid the biotic attack. It hit her directly and she screamed out in pain before she lost consciousness and one name escaped from her mouth, "Jooooohhnnn!"

And answering to her scream a pair of closed eyes opened suddenly which was glowing blue with biotics, inhumanly.

 _ **Notes: Hey guys here is the Chapter 22. I hope you guys like this. Next chapter will come very quickly, I promise but it will be shorter than this chapter. Anyways, enjoy and please review as always.**_ __


	23. The Saviour

Liara tried to compose herself while lying on the ground. She tried to get past the dizziness she was feeling. Slowly the dizziness went away and her vision also cleared. She could hear voices around her, so she looked around. She saw a there were at least ten asari commandos in the room along with few geth and her mother is still standing right at the front of the glass watching the Rachni queen. She felt totally helpless. First of all she was in no condition to fight and was totally outnumbered. But where are her friends and teammates?

She watched her mother conversing with the asari commandos but she was telling them, Liara couldn't hear. Suddenly as if sensing her, Benezia turned towards her.

"I see you have woken up, my daughter." Benezia said.

"Where are my friends?" Liara spat out angrily.

"Your friends? They are alive at the moment but not for long. But I won't kill you my daughter, you will come with me and work with Saren. He wants you by his side." Benezia said calmly.

"I will never work with a mad turian. Never! You heard me? NEVER!" Liara almost yelled out in anger.

"Don't be so stubborn my daughter, because your friend's lives depends on your decision. You refuse to join Saren, I will be forced to kill them and if you accept Saren's offer, I may consider of letting your friends go, alive. Now, the choice is yours." Benezia said.

"I….. I don't believe you." Liara said.

Benezia arched an eyebrow questioningly. "You don't believe what?"

"I don't believe my friends are in danger." Liara said even though she didn't believe it herself.

"It seems you require proof." Benezia said and signaled one of the asari commandos. She nodded and tapped few keys on the terminal in front of her.

Liara's eyes widened in fear as a window opened and through the glass of the window she saw her friends, tied and gagged. She could see that they were somehow kept unconscious.

"Now you see my daughter? With my instruction I could get your friends killed, now. So, make your choice." Benezia said.

"Why? Why are you doing this mother? Why work with Saren?" Liara almost pleaded.

"I had no choice." Benezia replied evenly.

"We always have a choice." Liara spat.

"I don't want to talk about my decision to join Saren. I need to know what you decided."

"I….." Liara was interrupted as one of the asari commandos.

"Matriarch! We have a problem." One of the asari commandos said.

"What is it?" Benezia asked.

"Something is approaching us, fast. Very fast. I have never seen anything move so fast." The asari commando said.

"What is it?"

"We cannot detect it, Matriarch."

Benezia placed her hand under her chin and thought for a moment. "Bring one of the prisoners to me and get ready to fight."

Liara watched helplessly as the asari commandos brought the unconscious form of Alicia out from the containment chamber and placed her at Benezia's feet. She couldn't figure out why they brought her out from the chamber. She also noticed that the squad of asari commandos and the geth trained their weapons at the door of the lab waiting for something.

 _What are they waiting for?_ Liara thought.

"How far is it?" Liara heard Benezia talking.

"Anytime now, Matriarch. Any…" The asari commando couldn't finish her sentence as the door of the lab blasted open by a blue light and the entire asari squad and the geth squad were thrown apart. Benezia turned sharply towards the door trying to see what caused the door to blast apart. She saw a human slowly stepped inside the lab and looked straight towards her. His entire body was glowing with the dark energy of biotics and his eyes they were hollow blue.

In her defense she quickly protected herself with a biotic barrier and placed her hand at the throat of the unconscious body of the female human.

"Whoever you are, stay back there or else I will kill these woman. You cannot penetrate my barrier." Benezia threatened and saw that the male human's eyes fell on the unconscious body of the woman in her hands. All this time he looked calm, she could tell it from his facial expression. But now she saw that his expression is turning to anger and now he is furious. She saw that his chest was heaving in anger. He slowly started to approach her without saying anything with his eyes on the woman in her hands.

"I am warning y….." Benezia stopped as he suddenly disappeared from her sight and next second she knew she was flying backwards and smashed hard against the glass behind her and slowly slid down on the floor. Benezia couldn't understand what just happened. She looked straight and her eyes widened, _not in fear but understanding._

"It can't be…." She whispered to herself and stood up on her feet. The male human didn't even looked at her, he was busy with the female human in his arms. Benezia saw that he was whispering something and tears were tricking down from those inhuman eyes. She came near him slowly and concentrated on what he was speaking.

"Miri…. Please wake up. Please. Don't leave me. Please wake up. Look, I came for you, didn't I? You called I came. So, please open your eyes and tell me you are okay." The man kept on pleading. Watching him so close Benezia had no doubt now that, _he is the savior about whom the prophecy was made._

Benezia fell on her knees and bowed to him in respect and admiration. Still he didn't look towards her. Benezia got up on her feet and walked towards the terminal at the far end. She tapped on the terminal and the Normandy team was released from their captivity. Then, she came back at the human's side.

"She is not harmed, Commander Shepard. She is merely unconscious." Benezia spoke.

That got his attention. He looked towards her with those inhuman eyes. Then he turned back his face and slowly caressed the woman's face lovingly. Suddenly the Rachni queen let out a shriek. He looked towards the queen and gently lay down the woman back on the floor. He stood up and walked towards the glass behind which the Rachni queen was kept. The queen of the Rachni and the human stared at each other for a full minute. Next second, he was tapping on the terminal.

"What are you doing? John!" Liara shouted still lying bound on the ground.

"I am releasing the queen." He answered simply.

Benezia walked up to her daughter and released her from the hold. But her daughter rushed past her without even looking at her.

"John! Are you sure?" Liara asked after reaching John's side.

"Dead." Came the curt reply.

Liara was about to stop him but she halted as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She sharply turned backward and came face to face with her mother. "Let him do, what he thinks is best." Benezia said.

Liara removed her mother's hand away from her shoulder roughly. "You can't tell me what to do. You are not my mother anymore." Liara replied angrily.

"I know I had done many wrong things. But Liara you must know that I cannot control myself. I am trying to resist but I am failing." Benezia said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked.

"The ship of Saren has some kind of power, the one he calls Sovereign. It corrupts your mind slowly. It is not set how much time it takes to corrupt one's mind. It maybe one day, one week, one month or maybe even a year. But it does not matter because the mind gets corrupted at the end." Benezia stated.

"What made your mind recover, then?" Liara said.

"This is temporary. I am already beginning to hear Saren inside my head again. It's because of his power I was able to get control of my mind for now." Benezia indicated towards John.

"Him….? How?" Liara asked in surprise.

Benezia opened her mouth to answer but stopped at the sound of something heavy falling on the ground. Liara turned to her left and saw that John was lying on floor facedown and he was deeply unconscious. Liara rushed towards him and pulled his head on her lap.

"What happened to him? John!" She tried to wake him up but got no response.

"Liara, he is okay. Listen daughter. I must be quick. I will not be able to hold Saren out of my mind for long." Benezia almost pleaded.

"No don't say that mother. Come with us. We will find a solution." Liara said, tears forming in her eyes.

"No. Listen to me. He is not an ordinary human. Soon all life in the galaxy will be in danger of being extinct and he is the only one who can stop it. He is the only one. But first he must find the thing that gives him strength to fight. He must find it, he must and Liara you must help him to find it. Promise me you will." Benezia requested her daughter.

"I will, mother. I promise." Liara said with tear filled eyes.

"Thank you, my daughter. I am proud of you." Benezia smiled for the first time in a long time.

"Mother…." Liara pleaded.

Benezia let out another smile and suddenly placed a gun at her head and fired, killing herself with a single shot.

"No…No… mother." Liara cried.

 _ **Note: Please review. :P**_


	24. A new lead

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"The human 'Shepard' and his team is causing problems. This cannot be allowed to go on." A mechanical voice was heard.

"When the time comes, I will take care of him myself." A turian replied who was standing in front of a hologram. A red mechanical spider like creature was visible in the hologram.

"Shepard must be taken down. He is the biggest threat to our cause." The creature said in its mechanical voice.

"He will be taken care of very soon along with his crew." The turian replied and the image of the creature vanished from the hologram. He turned away and sat down on his chair.

"You are indeed proving yourself as a worthy enemy Shepard." The turian murmured to himself. "But very soon I will have my army at my command and nothing will be able to stop me, not even you Shepard."

 **NORMANDY**

"There seems to be no after effect of the poison in your body, Commander. The antidote worked well and thanks to Alicia. She did a great job." Dr. Chakwas said.

"Aye. She saved my life again. I owe her." John said.

"But there is something in your body which helped you to recover so fast." Dr. Chakwas said.

"What do you mean by 'something else', Doctor?" John asked curiously.

"I don't know. You have some kind of enhanced healing factor in your body. What strange is that I cannot find anything out of ordinary in your body…. It's a little disturbing." Dr. Chakwas replied.

"Is it bad? Am I dying or something?"

"No. I don't think so. But the presence of such an enhanced healing factor in human body is never heard of. But you shouldn't worry about it. Whatever it is, it is good." She assured him with a smile.

He didn't reply. He just nodded and left the med-bay silently. He wasn't afraid of dying or concerned about himself. His concern was that he never get to see her once before he dies. That was his fear.

Liara was waiting anxiously inside the debriefing room for John and others. Garrus and Tali just watched and looked towards each other with confusion in their eyes.

"What is wrong with her?" Garrus whispered to Tali, leaning towards her.

"I don't know. Keep quiet." Tali whispered back. Garrus frowned and moved away from Tali.

Tali broke the uncomfortable silence in the room. "So, you are saying he saved us and now he cannot remember a thing?" Tali asked Liara.

"Tali you saw that before. It happened again." Garrus stated.

"That's not bothering me." Liara replied.

"Then… what?" Garrus asked.

"My mother explained something to me before she killed herself." Liara whispered.

"I am sorry that she had to die, Liara." Tali said.

"Tali, I am sad that my mother died but it was for the best and I have to accept that. It will take time for me to get used to that idea but I know I will be able to do it." Liara said, her voice filled with sadness.

"What did she say, Liara?" Garrus asked.

"She said she was proud of me and after she died I found this device in her palm." Liara said showing Tali a small device.

"What is this, Liara?" Tali asked trying to get a better look at the device.

"It's a recording of my mother's message." Liara said.

"You heard it, already?" Garrus asked.

"Not yet. I believe that this contains vital information. So I am waiting for John. He is in the med-bay, waiting for Dr. Chakwas to let him come." Liara said.

At that time the door of the debriefing room chimed open and John came in with the others following.

"There he is." Garrus said. John nodded in reply. He was in no mood to talk much.

"What did you find, Liara? You told me you have something to show us." John asked.

"Actually, I want all of you to hear something. Here, listen." Liara played the recording.

" _Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear. I will not betray him. I… I…. listen while I am still able to speak. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is too strong. It is a terror to be trapped in your mind. To beat upon the glass as your hands torture and murder. I was powerless, nothing but a tool for Saren. He sent me to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago_. _Two thousand years ago, the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle. The exact destination of Saren is unknown and. I already transmitted the co-ordinates to him. His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. I… I can't… Ahhhhh!"_ With that the recording ended.

"So, Saren is searching for the Mu Relay. But why?" Ashley said.

"The conduit must be there." John said.

"You are right, Commander. It fits." Alicia said.

"But how are we going to stop him? We don't even know the location of the Mu relay." Kaidan said.

"Benezia said she had it but….." Tali said shaking her head in frustration. "It seems Saren is always one step ahead of us, no matter what we do."

"So we have no lead?" Wrex said.

"It seems we are facing a dead end." John said.

When everyone was about to give up, Alicia surprised them. "Commander with your permission I would like to show you something." Alicia said. Everyone turned their attention on her.

"Go ahead." John gave the permission.

"Thank you, Commander." She said and stood up from her seat. Then she walked up to Liara. Liara looked at her with questioning eyes. "Dr. T'Soni, may I have a look at that device in your hand?"

"Ummm! Yeah, sure." Liara handed her the device.

She took it and examined it carefully for some time. Then she pressed one finger lightly on a certain area of the device and a loud 'click' was heard. She produced a tiny cheap and handed it to John. "I think this OSD contains all the information we need, Commander."

Everyone just stared at her with shocked expression on their face.

"How the hell did you figure it out?" Ashley was the first to ask the question.

"Let's say… I have some experience." She answered simply.

"Tali check it." John said handing the device to Tali.

Tali connected the device to her omni tool and immediately a galaxy map appeared where the Mu Relay was marked with its co-ordinates.

"We got it John. We got the location of the relay." Tali said.

But the Commander wasn't paying much attention to Tali's words. He just stared at Alicia in amazement. "You did an outstanding job, Alicia. It is only because of you we found the location of the relay. That was amazing." John said looking at Alicia with utter amazement in his eyes.

"Thank you, Commander but I only did my job." She replied and blushed.

"I think we should head to Mu relay." Ashley offered.

"No. I don't think so." Liara protested.

"Why?" Ashley asked a little bit irritated.

"The Mu relay is not a small place to look. We don't have any idea where Saren is. I think it would be a waste of our precious time." Liara explained.

"Liara is right. We don't know where Saren is. It would be a waste of time. We should wait." John said.

"But….." Ashley was interrupted by Joker's voice in comm.

"Commander, emergency transmission from the Citadel coming. Top priority clearance." Joker said.

"I will take it in the comm room." John said and exited the debriefing room.

 **A FEW MOMENTS LATER**

"Commander Shepard. We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren." The Asari councilor spoke first.

"What kind of information?" John asked.

"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse. We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren." The Salarian councilor explained.

"What did they find?" John asked.

"Unfortunately the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up proper interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet _Virmire_."

"I'll look into it." John assured the Council.

"The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities. We only want you to be aware of all your options, including Virmire." The Asari Councilor paused for a moment then spoke again, "Good luck, Commander Shepard. We will keep you informed if we learn anything else."

Ending the transmission John contacted Joker, "Joker, head to Virmire."

"Aye, aye Commander. Course plotted. ETA 8 hours."

After Miranda left the crew quarters she went straight to crew quarters to get some rest. She lay down on her bed and tried to sleep but she couldn't. There were some questions that she needed to be answered. She knew perfectly well that during the fight with Benezia, all of the squad mates were knocked out except her and Liara. Liara was down but she wasn't unconscious, well as long she herself was not knocked out. She was awakened by Tali and was totally taken aback when she found Shepard lying beside her on the floor. She sat up and noticed the dead form of Benezia lying on the floor a few feet away with wounds at the sides of her head. She immediately realized it was a bullet wound. She was relieved that Benezia was defeated but also felt a little bad for Liara. She has lost her mother after all which Miranda never had. Although she has a father, he is not a father, he is a monster. Aside from this she couldn't figure out how the hell Shepard came down in the lab. He is supposed to be lying unconscious in the Mako.

When Tali called her name again she pushed those questions at the back of her mind and followed her. She turned her head back and saw that Wrex lifted Shepard's body on his shoulder easily and started to follow them.

"Liara put the codes and level this place." Kaidan said.

"I don't have the codes." Liara said.

"I have it. Here." Tali said. "I found it in the scientist's clothes."

Liara put the codes in and the countdown started. But when they tried to get to the elevator they found their way blocked by several rachni. They killed several but no matter how much they kill more appeared in place of the dead ones and the time was running out.

"2 minutes to go." Liara warned.

"Damn it. Stop the bomb until we kill them." Ashley said.

"It is not possible. We must move now." Liara said.

They fought their way through the rachni and was able to reach the elevator without any serious injuries.

Miranda asked Liara what had happened but she said that she didn't know the details. She said that she only saw Shepard coming inside the lab and then she lost consciousness. But Miranda somehow felt that Liara wasn't honest with her.

 _She must be hiding something. But why? And what is she hiding?_ Miranda thought.

Miranda received another shock when she saw the device in Liara's hand in the debriefing room. That device is made for only Cerberus personnel's, it isn't possible for anyone outside Cerberus to have it.

 _Then how did Benezia had one?_

The she remembered the look in Shepard's eyes when he handed him the device that had the co-ordinates. It was like….. She can't explain it. And previously she is pretty confident that when she was unconscious someone was begging her to wake up by calling her 'Miri'. Only one person knew that name aside from Niket. But he isn't here. Then it must be him…. No it cannot be. She was definitely dreaming. With all these thoughts in her mind she slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **LIARA**

Liara followed the others out from the debriefing room silently. She was anxious to discuss the thing she saw and heard. "Garrus! Tali! Can you please come with me? We need to talk." Liara said.

"Of course, we can. Let's go." Tali said.

A few minutes later Liara was facing Garrus and Tali in her room.

"What do you want to talk about Liara?" Tali said.

"There is something… I didn't mention." Liara replied.

"And?" Garrus asked.

"I was never unconscious actually. I saw everything. When he came in the lab he was a sight to see. So much power. He took down my mother's squad within seconds and penetrated my mother's defensive shield as if it wasn't there. And believe me when he saw Alicia in danger he lost it. I have never seen him so angry. He almost killed my mother. But he didn't. He went straight to Alicia and started to beg her to wake up." Liara explained.

"What?!" Tali and Garrus said in unison.

"Yes not only that. He said that she called him, that's why he came." Liara said.

"I don't understand." Tali said.

"Me neither." Liara confessed.

"Why didn't you mention this in debriefing room? And why didn't you let him know about this?" Tali asked.

"This is not a matter for public ears. It's personal for him. I only told you because he said that he trust three of us as his siblings and closest friends. And the reason for not mentioning it to him, I really didn't wanted to burden him. He already has a lot in his mind." Liara said.

"I understand. What else, Liara?" Garrus asked as he sensed that there is something else.

"Can you guess by what name he was begging Alicia to wake up?" Liara asked.

"Alicia. What else?" Garrus said.

"No. He didn't call her Alicia." Liara replied.

"Then?" Tali asked in confusion.

"He called her 'Miri'." Liara finally said and both of her friends just stared at her dumbfounded.

 **A/N: I know I promised that this chapter will be larger but finally I decided to keep the Virmire part separate and only write this chapter as an explanation of the last chapter. I also know that I haven't updated this story for a while and I am sorry for that. Got busy with exams and life.**


	25. An easy choice?

"Commander, I am reading a signal. Must be our salarian infiltration team." Joker said.

"Check out those defense towers." Kaidan warned.

"Drop the Mako. We'll go in hot and take them out." John said.

"I'll get you underneath their radar, Commander." Joker said.

"Kaidan, come with me. Joker inform the others to gather in front of the Mako in 5 minutes." John said while leaving the cockpit with Kaidan at his toes.

As Joker said that he will avoid the enemy's radars, he flew the Normandy close to the ground and dropped the Mako in a secured place. "We've got a clean drop, Commander." Joker announced.

"Stay out of range and continue evasive maneuvers until I bring those AA towers down." John said.

"I know the drill. Meet you at the camp once those towers are offline. Joker out."

The planet Virmire is full of water. They even had to drive the Mako through water.

"Garrus you drive this time. I will handle the guns. Alicia try to locate the enemies on the radar, if it's possible." John said.

"Yeah, now I will show you how to drive. Watch and learn." Garrus said.

"It's not possible to track the enemies, Commander. They have some kind of jammer signals which is blocking everything." Alicia said.

"It's bad. We have to be extra careful then." Kaidan said.

"Garrus drive carefully. Don't get us killed." Tali warned.

"Hey, I am a professional." Garrus replied.

"Yeah, yeah I know how much professional you are." Tali shot back.

"How do you know? Huh!" Garrus said a little bit angrily.

John saw two of his team mates and friends arguing like children, so he put a stop to it. "Stop it you two. You are just acting like a child." John said.

"Tell that to Garrus." Tali replied glaring at Garrus.

"Enough. Let's go." John said. Liara hid her smile and just shook her head.

"What are you smiling at?" Ashley asked curiously.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Liara replied and sat down. Ashley looked at her strangely for few seconds and eventually sat down. Besides Liara, Wrex was tapping both of his knees with his fingers in frustration. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the enemy.

Garrus started the Mako and moved forward.

"Saren is sighted here?" Alicia asked.

"No. But whatever going on here is linked to Saren." John said.

"So, practically we are just searching for a lead to find Saren?" Garrus asked.

"Hmm." John said.

"Look out geth assault and rocket drones at front." Alicia warned.

John immediately fired the machine gun and took out the drones.

"Expect to face more of these things ahead." John mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah we know that. Nothing is easy when you are involved." Garrus commented.

John gave him a smirk which he returned.

Garrus drove the Mako forward and immediately attacked by the geth drones. John fired the turret to take those machines out but they had powerful shields for which even the turret took few seconds to drain the shield of the machines and completely destroy them. The time which the turret took to destroy the drones, Garrus had to dodge the missile attacks from the geth drones.

"This is getting annoying. How many more are there?" Garrus said to one in particular.

"It's just started." Alicia said.

At that moment Tali shouted, "Look out! Geth armatures."

True to her word there were at least five geth armature blocking their path. Garrus drove the Mako behind a large rock for cover. "Garrus get the Mako out from behind the cover for few seconds and as soon as I fire pull it back behind." John said.

Garrus nodded. He exposed the Mako to enemy eyes for few seconds. That was all the time John needed to fire few rockets at the geth armatures. Garrus instantly pulled the Mako behind cover.

"How many are still there?" Garrus asked.

"Two more." John said.

"I am driving straight while dodging the attacks, you do what you do best." Garrus said.

"Isn't it a bit too risky?" Alicia said in a concerned voice.

"I have faith in Garrus." John said looking at Garrus. "Let's move."

"On count of three. 3 …. 2…..1" Garrus mumbled.

John immediately rained hell on the armatures as soon as Garrus exposed the Mako and sped forward. Garrus had to dodge a few rockets since it took time for John tom penetrate the armatures shields and armors.

"Assault drones, sixty meters north-east." Alicia said.

"Spotted and destroyed." John replied.

"More drones approaching from north west with geth rocket troopers." Alicia warned.

"Spotted." John acknowledged.

"This will be one hell of a ride. Hold on!" Garrus said and rocketed the Mako towards the enemies. Garrus made the Mako jump, lean left, right to avoid enemy fires. They were busy taking out the enemies that surrounded them but they didn't notice a geth colossus was targeting them from afar.

"Phew! They are down." Kaidan said in relief.

"And it's all because of my awesome d… Ugh!" Garrus couldn't complete his joke as the Mako shook violently and his head got hit hard against the roof. Everyone else was thrown apart from their respected position. It was Tali who saw the danger first. The Mako's shield was down to five percent.

"Garrus get us behind cover. Now!" She yelled.

Garrus somehow pull the Mako behind a large rock and in the next second a large blue energy ball flew past them.

"What the hell was that?" Ashley said angrily.

"A geth colossus." Tali replied.

"Tali, you saw where is it?" Garrus said.

"It's out there somewhere in the north." Tali said.

"Yeah. We know that genius. But we need the exact position." Garrus said in irritation.

"Don't you think I know that Vakarian?" Tali glared at Garrus which he ignored and glared back at her.

"Here we go again." Liara mumbled shaking her head.

"Hey! Shut up you two." John slightly raised his voice seeing his friends acting like children. "This is no time to argue. Tali how much time will it take for the shields to reach above 90%?"

"About 30 minutes." Tali said still glaring at Garrus.

"Great. Now what?" Ashley said.

"Let's move on feet and turn those machines to trash." Wrex said bumping his fists.

"No Wrex. That's too risky and besides it will take a long time to reach the camp on foot. It's still a long way out." John stopped Wrex.

"So what can we do now, Commander? The Mako is vulnerable without the shield." Kaidan asked.

"We don't have a choice. We push forward with the Mako. I will drive." John sat on the driver's seat.

"I'll handle the guns." Wrex said pushing past Garrus.

"Hey! What…." Garrus tried to protest but Liara pulled him behind and forced him to sit beside her.

John knew the colossus' attacks are powerful but slow. He knew he can easily avoid its attacks. So like Garrus he sped the Mako forward and spotted the colossus at a distance. Wrex fired both the turret and the cannon on the colossus not giving it the time to repair itself. After the colossus was down they were ambushed by several geth troopers. John killed one by running the Mako over and Wrex took care of the rest. Later they found more enemies but they were also taken down without any casualties. Finally they were able to reach the AA guns without any further interruption.

"There is it." Wrex pointed out.

John took only Wrex, Tali and Kaidan with him, the rest of them remained inside the Mako. As soon as they climbed up the stairs they were assaulted by heavy fire from the geth troopers. Tali sent her drone among the geth and they got distracted for few seconds. That was all the time Wrex, Kaidan and John needed to push back their enemies. Wrex charged and tackled two geth at once. He finished them off with shots at their heads. Kaidan took down the shields of three with a heavy overload and John put armor piercing rounds in their bodies. There were more. Kaidan tossed a grenade at the geth who were hiding behind a cover. The explosion easily killed them but that wasn't the last of them. More came rushing out from the control room. Everyone open fired on them. John fired cryo ammo at the last two and made them freeze. Wrex charged and the impact broke the freezing form of the geth bodies into pieces.

"I think that's the last of them." Kaidan said.

They reached the control room and disabled the AA gun. Immediately they heard Joker's voice in the comm. "Commander, the AA gun is down. Meet you in the camp." Joker said.

"We will meet you there, Joker." John said. They turned to leave but then he saw Tali was tapping on another console.

"Tali what are you doing?" John asked.

"I can disable the geth jamming signal from here." Tali replied while tapping on the terminal. "Almost done….. There. It's done." She said in a satisfied voice.

"Great. Let's move." John said moving towards the Mako and the others followed.

 **AT THE CAMP**

The rest of their journey to the camp was peaceful. After exiting the Mako, John saw a salarian military officer is standing in front of the camp. He slowly approached there with his team, "Are you in charge here? What is going on?" John asked.

"I am Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment STG. You and your crew just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA guns within ten miles has been alerted to your presence." Captain Kirrahe informed.

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"We stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested."

Ashley and Kaidan shared a look among themselves after hearing the Captain's words.

"We are the reinforcements." Kaidan said.

"What?! You're all they sent? I told the Council to send a fleet." Captain Kirrahe said outraged.

"We couldn't understand your transmission. They sent me to investigate." John replied.

"That is a repetition of our task. I lost half of my men investigating this place."

"So what have you found?" Kaidan asked.

"Saren's base of operations. He set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with geth and very well fortified."

"What's Saren researching?"

"He's using the facility to breed an army of krogan and something else."

"How is that possible?" Wrex interrupted.

"Apparently, Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage."

"The geth are bad enough but… with a krogan army he'd be almost unstoppable." John said.

"Exactly my thoughts. We must make sure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed." Captain Kirrahe agreed.

"Destroyed? I don't think so. Our people are dying. This cure can save them." Wrex opposed.

"If that cure leaves this planet, the krogan will become unstoppable. We can't make the same mistake again." Captain Kirrahe protested.

"We are not a mistake." Wrex spat out angrily and stormed away.

"Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with." Captain Kirrahe asked looking towards John.

"He'll will be fine. I will talk to him." John assured the salarian captain.

"I'd appreciate that, Commander." He paused. "My men and I need to rethink our plan to attack. Can you give us more time?"

"Go ahead Captain. I'll come back soon." John said.

"We won't be long, Commander. In the meantime, if you need any supplies you can talk to Commander Rentola. He's in one of the tents nearby." The salarian captain then walked towards his men.

"Looks like things are a bit of mess." Kaidan said. Others also joined the conversation, except Wrex.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so worried if it wasn't for Wrex. He looks like he's going to blow a gasket." Ashley commented.

"You heard what the Captain said. A breeding facility for the krogan and something else. I am hundred percent sure that the krogan Battlemaster we encountered in Therum was born here." John said.

"More likely been made here." Ashley said.

"Whatever. But if my suspicions are true then we have a bigger problem. We saw how tough that krogan was. He took down all of us alone. And there also that fear toxin. I think it was also manufactured here." John explained.

"It seems to fit." Kaidan said. Others nodded except Alicia. She couldn't understand what they were talking about. Looking at her confused expression John told her what happened in Therum.

"Commander, how are we supposed to take them down? We couldn't even take a single krogan down last time." Ashley said.

"This is going to be a problem." Garrus said.

"Last time he caught us off guard. But this time we will be ready. Whenever you see a krogan in there concentrate all your attacks on him. Apart from this we don't have any other way to deal with them." John said.

"Perhaps we can sneak inside?" Alicia said.

"And how do we do that? They are bound to see us." Ashley shot back.

"Commander, I was talking with Captain Rentola a few minutes ago. He has tactical cloak in his store. We can use that to sneak inside." She offered.

"That will give us a lot of advantage. Take all the cloaks that are available." John said. Then he transferred the fund he got for the mission to Alicia's omni-tool. She walked away to buy the cloaks.

"This is indeed a good strategy." Kaidan agreed.

"I think I should go and talk with Wrex." John said.

"It wouldn't hurt. Well, it might, actually. Just do it carefully." Kaidan said.

"I'll be careful. But be ready just in case." John said.

"I'm always ready." Ashley said.

"This isn't right, Shepard. If there's a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it." Wrex said when John approached him.

"I understand you are upset. But we both know Saren is the enemy here. He's the one you should be angry with."

"Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it. Help me out here Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting a little blurry from where I stand."

"This isn't a cure, it's a weapon. And if Saren is allowed to use it, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."

"That's a chance we should be willing to take. This is the fate of my entire people we are talking about. If you can't give me a better reason than this to destroy the hopes of my people, then I'm done with you."

"Wrex. Listen to me. These krogans are slaves of Saren. Puppets, tools to be used and discarded. Is that what you want for your people? And besides you saw the krogan we encountered in Therum. He wasn't really a krogan. Was he?" John reasoned with Wrex.

"No we were tools for the Council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be generous. All right Shepard. You've made your point. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing. When we find Saren, I want his head." Wrex finally calmed down. John clasped his soldiers in appreciation and left him there to give him some time alone.

He saw Captain Kirrahe is walking towards him. "Thank you for talking with the krogan. The assault on Saren's base will be difficult enough as it is."

"I assume that means you've come up with a plan." John said.

"Of sorts. We can convert our ship's drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective." Kirrahe said.

"Nice. Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye." Ashley said in satisfaction.

"Unfortunately, the facility is too well-fortified for that. We'll need to place the bomb at a precise location." Kirrahe informed.

"Where do we take the nuke? And how do we get there?" John asked.

"The bomb must be taken to the far side of the facility. Your ship can drop it off, but we'll need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns, and pacify any ground forces first."

"You are not suggesting that we take them head on?" Kaidan asked.

"Of course not. I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we have got their attention you can sneak your 'shadow' team in the back."

"It's a good idea, but your team will get slaughtered."

"We're tougher than we look, Commander. But it's true I don't expect many of us will make out alive. And that makes what I'm going to ask is even more difficult. I need one of your men to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams."

"We'll need someone who knows Alliance communication protocols." John suggested.

"I volunteer, Commander." Kaidan said.

"Not so fast LT. Commander Shepard will need you to arm the nuke. I'll go with the salarians." Ashley said.

"With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide." Kaidan replied.

"Why is that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"

"Who would be better suited to the mission?" John asked Kirrahe.

"Either of these two will do, Commander. Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though if we are lucky, such sacrifice won't be required." Kirrahe replied.

"Kaidan you are with the Captain. Keep it simple, understood?" John decided to send Kaidan because he was expert in biotics, electronics and combat and he can do real damage.

"Aye, aye Commander!"

"I will have the ordnance loaded onto the Normandy and brief your crew on its detonation sequencing." Kirrahe said.

John nodded. "Let's do this."

"Excellent, then if you'll excuse me I'll go prepare my team." Kirrahe said and went to give a speech to his team to motivate them.

At that moment Alicia returned. "Commander, there was only three cloaking devices in the store."

John thought for a few moment. "We can make it work. So here's the plan team. Kaidan going with the salarian team. Ashley you stay in the Normandy. The nuke is your responsibility. Now I, Tali and Alicia will sneak in with the help of cloak. Liara, Garrus and Wrex follow us from distance. We will clear the path for you. Join the fight when you see it's necessary. Otherwise maintain your cover. Our responsibility will be to take out the ground forces and disable the AA guns."

"Well this is it. Don't do anything foolish while I'm gone Ash. That goes for you too, Commander." Kaidan said.

"We'll be fine LT." Ashley assured him.

"Yeah I just….. Good luck."

"Is there something you wanted to say Kaidan?" John asked noticing his hesitation.

"It's just weird, going under someone else's command. I've got so used to working with you….. All of you." His eyes lingered on Ashley for just a second but none noticed.

"Don't worry so much. We'll see you on the other side." Ashley assured him again.

Kaidan turned towards John, "I, ah… I just wanted to say it's been an honor serving with you, Commander."

"It doesn't matter if we're not in the same unit, we're still a team. Watch each other's backs, keep your eyes open and fight like I know you can. We'll come out of this in one piece." John said.

"You bet, Commander."

Everyone was ready to get started.

"I need to visit the Normandy for a moment. Wait here." John said and walked towards the Normandy.

"Now what he is up to?" Garrus asked Liara who was standing beside him.

"Don't know. But whatever it is I know that he has a plan." Liara said.

Miranda watched him go. She couldn't help but admire the way he handled everything, the way he calmed down Wrex, formed a plan to infiltrate the base. She also noticed how he talks, moves and everything else about him. And his leadership quality is just more than admirable. He never tries to play as a leader or force his team to listen to his orders, they do it automatically. There is something unique quality he possesses. All of this quality was enough to enchant even the ice queen Miranda Lawson. She was thinking about him more and more for the last few days. She reminded him that John is still out there but this man somehow stole her heart without even trying to, just like John did so many years ago.

Then she saw him walking out of the Normandy with a black armor with red borders. He was looking more than handsome and at the same time dangerous too. From the corner of her eyes she saw Ashley gawking at him and she couldn't help but felt a twinge of jealousy at that.

"What's with this new armor?" Garrus asked when john approached them.

"Spectre armor. Wanted to use this for a long time." John said.

"You are looking good, John." Liara said with a smile. Tali nodded.

"It's true, Commander. You are looking….. Well, nice." Ashley said and tried not be too obvious. She just wanted to lunge at him and kiss him senseless.

No one noticed a particular someone was sending death glares at the women's back.

Captain Kirrahe approached them at that moment.

"Everyone is ready. I hope we will see each other again, Commander." He said shaking hands with John.

The salarian team followed Captain Kirrahe along with Kaidan. Ashley went inside the Normandy.

"Joker, stay put, until we disable those AA guns." John said.

"Aye, aye Commander." Joker replied.

" _Comm check. Do you read me, Commander?_ " Captain Kirrahe's voice was heard in the comm.

"Loud and clear, Captain." John replied.

" _Good. We'll start our push. We'll try to make it to the AA guns, but it might be up to you to finish the job. And Commander? If you see any way to undermine their defenses, we could definitely use the help._ "

"Activate cloak." John said to Alicia and Tali.

They did as they were told and they sneaked forward silently. They walked only few paces and saw geth rocket drones above their head but because of the cloak they blended nicely.

"Garrus, few feet ahead of you there are three rocket drones. I am leaving them to you. If we destroy it, the noise will probably give us away." John whispered in the comm.

" _Not a problem, John. We will take care of the drones. Tell us when we can start moving._ " Garrus said through comm.

"I will. Hold on. Hostile spotted ahead. Three of them." John said.

"Shepard wait. See there." She pointed towards her right side.

There was a tower there. "I think we can disable their communication from here and disrupt their system." She said again.

"It will be Garrus' responsibility. We need to remain as quite as possible." John said.

The other two nodded in understanding.

" _Garrus before you take out the drones, there is a tower at the north-east. Kill the hostiles there and disable the communication and their system._ " John informed.

" _Consider it's done._ " Garrus assured.

The team slowly approached the enemies at the front. The geth didn't even notice them. They had already attached silencers to their guns and easily eliminated the three geth without any noise.

" _Garrus, move!_ " John said.

" _You got it, Shepard. Let's go._ " Garrus' voice was heard in comm.

The team slowly moved forward and spotted a few geth and a krogan. John pulled out his sniper. "Tali, Alicia take care of those geth. Hopefully one headshot from the sniper will drop the krogan."

They nodded and both attacked the geth at the same time with tech powers. John didn't wait. He made a large hole in the krogan's head with a single shot from his sniper. And his next shot took out the geth that was left alive.

"So far, so good." Alicia said.

" _Communication disabled. Drones destroyed._ " Garrus informed through comm.

"Nice work team. Wait there." John said.

" _Something scrambled their targeting. We've got a shot! Lieutenant Alenko, take the heat off Mannovai!_ " Captain Kirrahe's voice sounded over the comm.

"Shit, they are getting pounded. We don't have much time." Tali said.

"Right. Let's move." John said and they started moving again.

Once inside the facility John and his companions took out the remaining guards inside without further problems.

"Garrus, come inside the facility. We are in." John informed them.

" _Right at you Shepard._ " Garrus said.

John's team moved forward and then they spotted few cells and inside there were prisoners. By the time they reached the cells Garrus arrived with Liara and Wrex. The prisoners were salarian. But only one of them seems to be in their right mind, the others just stared at them blankly. The salarian who was sane, informed the team that were captured while they were trying to investigate the facility and Saren was doing Sovereign's indoctrination tests on the prisoners. He also informed that there are other prisoners on the above floor. John asked Alicia, Tali and Wrex to go to the top floor and free the other prisoners.

Liara tapped on the terminal and the salarian was freed from his cell. But something strange happened then. John felt as if he had no controls over his own body. He moved towards the indoctrinated salarians automatically. It was like he was drawn to them. He tried to resist but he felt his arms were moving without his own accord and they were placed on the both side of the head of one of the indoctrinated salarians.

Garrus and Liara saw in astonishment when his body started to glow with biotics and it radiated a brighter light than before. They gasped when they saw the indoctrinated salarian's body also started to glow with biotics and suddenly the biotics disappeared. But the hollow look in the indoctrinated salarian's eyes disappeared.

"Wha…. What happened?" The salarian said after blinking his eyes for few seconds.

John stepped back from the salarian. He looked towards his friends with disbelief in his eyes.

"We think….. You just got cured from the indoctrination effects of Sovereign." Garrus said.

"How?" He asked.

"We really don't know." John answered.

Tali, Alicia and Wrex arrived with grim expression on their face.

"We can't save them. They were indoctrinated. They started firing on us as soon we let them out. They were beyond saving." Tali said.

"We understand." One of the salarian commando said.

John turned towards the salarians, "We are going to level this place. You need to get out from here. Now!"

"We appreciate your help, Commander." The salarians thanked them and ran away.

"We need to push forward." John said and started walking. He didn't looked at his team. He was far too surprised by what happened just a few moments ago. They encountered few geth and indoctrinated salarians and got rid of them easily. After few minutes they reached a terminal. Tali examined it, "We've got access to the base security. We should be able to cut the alarms from here. Might even be able to trigger alarms on the far side of the base. It'll clear the guards for us, but they might be too much for the salarian team to handle."

"Just disable the alarms. We can handle any guards inside." John said.

After some more fighting they finally reached an office where an asari was hiding herself under the table.

"Don't shoot! Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late." She begged.

"I am not going to hurt you. Who are you?" John asked.

"Rana Thanopotis, neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects the prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!"

"Give me one reason I should help you." John replied calmly.

"I… I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in." She walked towards the elevator and unlocked it for them. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"

"I am going to blow this place to hell and gone. If you want to make it out alive, you'd better start running." John said.

"What? You can't…. but I'll never… Ahh!" She screamed in fear and ran away.

"You enjoyed that, John." Garrus smirked.

"So? What if I did?" John returned Garrus smirk with his own.

They took the elevator and reached Saren's private lab.

"Look a prothean beacon." Liara pointed out in excitement.

"It's the same like the one I encountered on Eden Prime." John said.

He slowly and carefully approached the beacon and when he was near the effect was the same as before. He was lifted off his feet and he could see the broken images that were transferring into his head. When it was over John fell on his knees. Alicia ran to him and help him on his feet. She looked at him with concerned eyes.

"I am okay." He assured her.

"John look there." Garrus pointed towards an interface where a large red creature was visible. They approached it. Now they realized it wasn't some creature, it's the Sovereign.

" _You are not Saren."_ It replied in its mechanical voice.

"What is that? Some kind of VI interface?" Tali said.

 _"_ _Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."_

"I don't think it's a VI…." Garrus said.

 _"_ _There is a realm of existence far beyond your own you cannot imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"_

"Sovereign isn't just some reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual reaper!" John said.

 _"_ _Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."_

"The Protheans vanished 50000 years ago. You couldn't have been there. It's impossible!" Liara said.

 _"_ _Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your live s are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."_

"Whatever your plan is, it's going to fail. I'll make sure of that." John replied.

 _"_ _Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken."_

"Cycle? What cycle?" Wrex asked.

 _"_ _The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."_

"Why would you construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone else to find?" John asked.

 _"_ _Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of the organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it."_

"They're harvesting us! Letting us advance to the level they need, then wiping us out!" Alicia said.

"Where did you come from? Who built you?" John asked.

 _"_ _We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure."_

"Where are the rest of the reapers? Are you the last of your kind?"

 _"_ _We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You would not escape your doom."_

"What do you want from us? Slaves? Resources?"

 _"_ _My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."_

"You're not even alive. Not really. You're just a machine and machines can be broken." John replied coldly.

 _"_ _Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over."_ Immediately the interface exploded and Joker's voice was heard in comm, " _Commander? We got trouble!"_

"What is going on out there, Joker?" John asked.

" _That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would tear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way, and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there…. fast"_

John urged his team to move. They took the lift and found the AA guns controls. They disposed of the enemies guarding it and quickly disabled it.

"Let's head to the breeding facility." John said.

 **A FEW MINUTES LATER**

They reached the place where Normandy landed after taking down several enemies in their way. They saw the nuke was being carried down by Normandy's crew. Ashley was there too.

"Bomb is in position. We are all set….." Ashley's words were cut off as the comm chattered.

 _"_ _Commander, do you read me?"_ Kaidan said in comm.

"The nuke is almost ready Lieutenant. Get to the rendezvous point." John ordered.

 _"_ _Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We've taken heavy casualties. We'll never make the rendezvous point in time."_ Kaidan protested.

"Get them out of there, Joker. Now!" John shouted in the comm.

 _"_ _Negative. It's too hot. You can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long we….."_ The communication scrambled.

"It's okay Commander. I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the nuke. Go get them and meet me back here." Ashley said.

"Up to the AA tower. Move!" John ordered his team and ran.

On the way they found several geth in their way. John's adrenaline kicked in. He rushed forward while firing and his team gave him support with bullets, biotics and tech attacks. When they reached the roof they saw a geth drop ship arriving.

"Reinforcements. We'd better hurry." Garrus said.

At that moment their comm chattered again. _"The geth ship is bleeding geth all over the bomb site."_ Ashley said in comm.

"Can you hold them off?" John asked.

 _"_ _There's too many. I don't think we can hold them off. I am arming the nuke."_ Ashley replied.

"What are you doing Ashley?!" John asked. His voice laced with concern.

 _"_ _Making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what. It's done Commander. Go get the lieutenant and get the hell out of here."_ She responded back.

 _"_ _Belay that. We can handle ourselves. Go back and get Ash."_ Kaidan protested.

John had to think. There's no way he'd let his friends die. He knew that in the battle sacrifices had to be made sometime. But he won't let them any of them die until there is breath left in his body. He is going to save both of them.

"Garrus, Liara, Tali, Wrex, Alicia. Go and get Kaidan and the salarian team out from there. Meet me in the rendezvous point. I will get Williams." He simply said.

"I am going with you, Commander. You may need help." Alicia offered.

John didn't want her to endanger herself. She is not a career military. But at that moment he didn't wanted to waste time over argument, so he agreed. "Very well, follow me Alicia." She fell in step behind him and the others moved towards Kaidan's location.

When they reached Ashley there were several geth along with two geth primes. A heavy overload from Alicia shook them and John threw a grenade at their feet when they got stunned. The explosion easily killed them. They thought they had done it. But no. They didn't. A sudden blast at John's feet threw him on the wall. The impact cracked his armor and he felt a sharp pain at his ribs. Alicia was also thrown away but she was not injured. John looked up. It was _Saren_. John pulled out his pistol and fired at him bit his shield easily absorbed it.

"I cannot let you undone what I've accomplished, Shepard. I cannot allow it. You saw what Sovereign is. Our end is inevitable. There is only one way we can save us and it's joining the reapers. It's the only way. I am trying to form a treaty. But you will ruin it all and for that you must die." Saren said.

"You are wrong. Do you really think that the reapers will spare us?" John asked.

"You must die Shepard." That was Saren's only reply.

John rushed forward towards him while firing his pistol. But it had no effect on Saren.

In answer Saren kicked him in the stomach and pushed him away. John groaned in pain. He saw Alicia approached Saren from behind and shocked him. He got stunned but only for a second. He recovered and backhanded her. She was thrown away and she crumpled against the wall.

"No! No!" John whispered.

Next thing he knew he was being dragged away by his throat. But his eyes were on _her._ He saw she lay there motionless. And then his fear took over. He closed his eyes because of the pain he was feeling in his heart.

"You are dead, Shepard." Saren mocked. But he let go of John when he opened his eyes. They were hollow blue and glowing. Within the blink of an eye Saren felt a punch on his jaw and he fell down hard on the ground a few feet away. He looked up in surprise. There, in front of him, a figure stood whose body was radiating biotics aura and his eyes were hollow and cold.

Behind Saren another figure moved. Miranda opened her eyes slightly still feeling the pain at her head and jaw. She tried to focus on what was going on. Her eyes widened in disbelief and also unbelievable joy, when he saw the figure standing tall a few feet away from her. All her doubts were gone at that moment. Now she realized why she felt that way towards him. Even if her brain didn't realize it but her heart knew it. There is only one man who can radiate such biotic powers and she knew him better than anyone. A tear dropped from her eyes in realization and happiness.

"John…." She whispered.

 **A/N: Well it's done finally. Phew! Please review.**


	26. Betrayed

"Shit!" Kaidan cursed when a bullet missed his head by inches. He quickly ducked behind cover.

"There are too many of them for us to handle, Lieutenant." Captain Kirrahe said weakly who was lying on the ground injured. His leg was severely wounded and now he has no chance to get up and fight.

"Chances of getting out of this is next to none. That's why I told the Commander to retreat." Kaidan paused. "Hope he listens….." He murmured the last words to himself.

"And you think the Commander will listen to you and leave us as you told him too?" Kirrahe asked.

"He knows that sometimes sacrifices have to be made sometimes." Kaidan replied after he shot a geth and slide behind cover.

"Agh!" A salarian commando screamed and fell after he got shot in his shoulder.

"We are only six now." Kaidan said urgently. "We must hold this point for them."

Adding to their misery a krogan battlemaster emerged there.

"A krogan battlemaster. Damn it!" kaidan cursed. "Everyone focus your fire on the krogan. He must not get close." Kaidan said.

The commandos did as they were told but their bullets were absorbed by the krogan's barrier and it kept on walking forward casually, unfazed. Suddenly, the krogan faltered in its step as two biotic powers hit him simultaneously. Kaidan seized the opportunity and rolled a grenade at his feet. The blast threw the krogan a few feet away destroying its barrier and majority of his armor. Next, a drone appeared and started to rain rockets on the geth troopers. The krogan unsteadily got on his feet but something large dropped on him from above, crushing him to death.

"Wrex?!" Kaidan exclaimed in surprise. A geth was trying to flank them with cloak but a sniper round blew it's head off. Kaidan looked up and Garrus was there with his sniper. He saw Liara and Tali coming down. Garrus kept on shooting geth after geth.

"Liara, Wrex, Tali, Garrus! What are you doing here?" Kaidan asked.

"Saving you and the salarian team, Lieutenant at the Commander's order." Liara replied.

"Where is the Commander? And….. Alicia?" Kaidan asked.

"They…. Hang on!" Liara created a singularity field trapping four geth in the force field. Wrex understood what to do next, from the previous experiences. He sent a warp at the singularity, detonating it and killing the geth troopers in the process.

"The Commander and Alicia has gone after Ashley." Tali answered.

"We need to get out from here now!" Garrus said from top.

"Only seven minutes left! We need to move! Now!" Liara yelled.

"Wrex! Clear a path for us." Tali said patting the krogan's shoulder, which earned her a smirk from the krogan.

"I AM KROGAN!" Wrex bellowed and charged forward towards the geth. The geth fired at him. Most of their shots were absorbed by shields and armor and few rounds just scratched him, which he ignored and knocked them away from his way.

"Clear! Go! Go!" Garrus shouted from top.

Kaidan gently lifted up Captain Kirrahe on his feet and placed his arms around his own shoulder as support. Liara, Tali and the salarian team followed Wrex out. Kaidan followed them with Captain Kirrahe and Garrus was last. He kept watching their back.

 **FEW MINUTES LATER AT THE CAMP**

"The Commander took a big risk by sending you guys behind me." Kaidan said.

"He knew what he was doing Lieutenant." Liara repled a little sternly.

"I know, still…." Kaidan tried to say something.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Liara asked.

"You know Doctor, I have never met a man like him in my life. He is… just so different." Kaidan mumbled.

"He is…. Different." Liara's voice trailed off as her thoughts clouded with worry for the others, especially John. Garrus came running towards them at that time. "We should head back and assist them." Garrus interrupted. "They will need help."

"Wait, let me contact Joker." Kaidan said. "Joker, what's the situation out there? They boarded the Normandy?"

" _Yes! Everyone is safe and sound except…._ " The comm voice was cut out by a huge explosion. " _Ah! Damn it! As i was saying everyone is alright except Alicia. She is injured but it's not life threatening. I am coming to pick you up from the camp, Lieutenant. Joker out._ "

 **LATER**

The crew was gathered in the cargo bay except John and Alicia. They knew that Alicia is in the medbay but John was nowhere to be found.

"Chief, what the hell happened down there?" Kaidan asked Ashley.

"The geth troopers ambushed us but the Commander and Alicia assisted us and we get rid of them without any problem. But next second I was sure that we will fail after Saren showed up." Ashley replied.

"Saren was there?" Kaidan asked.

"Damn! I should have been there to rip his head off!" Wrex growled angrily.

"Go on! What happened next?" Kaidan asked eagerly.

"Saren manhandles us alone, including the Commander. He is not just a normal turian, he is somehow enhanced. He was about to kill the Commander but Alicia intervened. Saren hit her so hard she flew away and hit the opposite wall which was at least ten feet away from them. Commander's eyes fell closed as Saren continued to choke the life out of him. He was struggling but Saren was too strong. Then…." Ashley stopped.

"Then, what?" Liara asked anxiously.

"Suddenly, he opened his eyes and they were glowing bright blue like we saw before. Saren let him go in surprise and within the blink of an eye he was on his feet and hit Saren so hard that I am sure the bastard's jaw was surely shattered from the blow. On the other hand time was running out, so I tried to stop him from hitting Saren and escape but he pushed me away and kept on hitting him. Then, Alicia somehow managed to get on her feet and miraculously calmed him down. When we boarded the Normandy we saw Saren escaping." Ashley stopped and let out a sigh.

"If I haven't witnessed it before I would have never believed you. No one would. This is unreal." Kaidan said and Ashley nodded at his statement. Everyone fell in silence.

"I think we should go and check on Alicia in the medbay." Liara suggested.

"Okay. Let's go." Others agreed with her.

They took the elevator down to the medbay and they found John there, standing outside the medbay with his gaze fixed on the glass of the medbay wall. Liara walked towards him and put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He slowly turned his head towards her and only few words left his mouth, "Next time I find Saren, I will kill him." His voice was cold and full of hatred. When he talked his eyes flashed blue, just for a second. Liara stepped back in surprise at his hostility, anger and the sudden surge of power she just felt. It was incredible. It was more powerful than anything she ever felt in her life. But what surprised her most was the fact that what she felt wasn't destructive, it was full of life.

At that moment each and every living asari in the galaxy felt it. Most of them were unknown of the legend, so they couldn't recognize what they felt. But those who were aware of the legend, they knew what it was, when they felt it. And a thousand year old asari justicar was one of them.

Currently, the justicar was spending time with her daughters after a long time. They were talking and laughing among themselves one time, but next second everyone's smile vanished as they felt it. The thousand year old asari knew instantly what she felt.

"Mother, you felt that?" One of her daughters asked worriedly. The justicar didn't answer. Her daughters saw totally confused, a smile slowly forming on their mother's face. _Why is she smiling instead of worrying?_

"Mother!" They called her again.

"The galaxy has hope after all." The justicar whispered to herself. Then she turned herself towards her daughters. "Remember, the legend I told you about?" They nodded in confirmation.

"The legend lives and he is slowly learning." She smiled.

One of her daughters was about to ask her something but at that moment another asari entered the room. "Samara, you felt that?" The asari asked.

"I did." Samara acknowledged.

"Then you know what this means. We all need to talk. Others are coming also." The asari said.

"I am right behind you Melinth." Samara followed Melinth out of the room after ensuring her daughters that she will return.

 **LOCATION UNKNOWN….**

 _Miranda felt the soft wind hitting her face as she was walking in a… park? She wasn't sure about that though and she don't know where she is and how did she got here. Wherever she is, the area looked peaceful. It was covered with numerous large trees and she could realize it was the season of autumn because she could see dried leaves on the ground and looking around she spotted dried leaves are also falling from the trees with the gentle breeze. She kept on walking forward. Suddenly, she felt something small bump against her legs. She looked down to find a little girl sitting on the ground with her face down. Miranda realized the girl must have fallen after colliding with her. She bent down on one knee and placed her hand lovingly on the girl's head._

 _"I am sorry. Are you okay?" Miranda asked softly._

 _The girl looked up towards her and Miranda was so shocked after seeing the girl's face that she lost her balance and fell on the ground._

 ** _She was an exact image of Miranda, herself._**

 _The girl quickly stood up on her feet. She kissed Miranda's cheeks. Then she giggled at her and ran away._

 _"Wait!" Miranda yelled and ran after her. But she couldn't find the girl anywhere. It was as if she vanished in thin air. Defeated, Miranda decided to turn back, but she stopped when she heard two voices speaking nearby. Curious, she followed the source of the sound and walked forward. After a minute or so she found the source of the sound. It was that little girl. She was hugging a man around his neck and babbling at him. Miranda couldn't see the man's face as he was turned away from her. Miranda watched from distance so they couldn't see her gawking at them. But the girl spotted her._

 _"Daddy! Look! There she is!" The little girl giggled again pointing her hand towards Miranda. Miranda wanted to run away but she couldn't. She felt an invisible force kept her rooted to the spot. When the man turned his face towards her, Miranda's eyes bulged. Only one word left her mouth, "John?"_

 _He smiled at her. As if she was attracted by a magnet she started walking forward towards him and the little girl. But suddenly, the ground shook violently and trees started to get uprooted. The little girl shrieked and embraced her father tightly. Miranda started to ran towards them. Then in slow motion she watched a red light fell on them and in front of her eyes they were turned to ashes._

 _"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" When she felt her heart breaking she closed her eyes and yelled._

She was still screaming when she opened her eyes and someone else was there who was trying to calm her down. Miranda focused on her surroundings. There was no child, no John and she wasn't in any park, she is lying in the medbay of the Normandy. She realized what she saw was just a dream. She sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. Suddenly, she flinched as she felt a sharp pain shot through her head.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked her.

Miranda turned her head towards her right side. It was Dr. Karin Chakwas, who was looking at her worriedly. "I…. I am okay. I just felt a little pain inside my head." Miranda replied.

"It's normal after what you endured. You have a mild concussion and three broken ribs. You should be fine within few hours." Dr. Chakwas said.

Miranda nodded and lay back down. All she wanted was to ran away from the medbay and rush into his arms, right now. The temptation was almost irresistible. But as much as she wanted to be with him, she can't be, at least not now. She have to hide her identity from him until the mission is over. But if she doesn't survive? Then she won't get a chance to tell him the truth, ever. She thought about the situation they are in for few moments and finally decided not to let him know. It's for the best. There are many reasons for which she should reveal the truth as well as there are reasons for which she shouldn't. She groaned in frustration. She felt her eyes slowly getting heavy with sleep. She realized the doctor must have given her some sleeping drugs. As sleep started to slowly overtake her she focused her thoughts to the dream she saw. The little girl in her dream looked exactly like her, except her eyes. They were John's eyes. As she thought about her similarities with the child she realized something.

 _Oh My God!_

She was her and John's child. Her own daughter. _Hers._ She smiled to herself as she thought about having a child with him one day, _perhaps._ She kept on picturing the child in her mind over and over again until sleep claimed her.

 **DE-BRIEFING ROOM**

"I have an idea, John. I think the beacon you found in Saren's base was similar to the one you found in in Eden Prime. It may have filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all the pieces together." Liars suggested.

"You want to join our minds again, don't you? Okay. Go ahead." John agreed.

The joining process was same as before but this time Liara felt a soothing sensation inside her when she joined her mind with him. She saw all the images inside his mind and put them together. She slowly opened her eyes after ending the process. But this time to her surprise she didn't feel exhausted like before.

"Incredible. I….. I never thought the images would be so… intense." Liars gasped.

"Did the vision make any sense to you?" John asked eagerly.

"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean empire. A warning against the reapers, but the warning came too late." Liara revealed.

"What about the Conduit?"

"There were other images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research…. Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the My Relay! It is the only way to get to Ilos." Liara explained.

John stepped back from her and sat down on his chair again deep in thought. "We need to get to Ilos!" He decided.

"Forget about it. My Relay is inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres." Tali intervened.

"The Conduit is on Ilos. That's where Saren is heading." He paused. Everyone saw that his face was showing unrestrained anger. "And when he gets there I will be there waiting for him!"

"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council." Liara suggested.

He nodded in agreement and dismissed the crew. Everyone left the room except Liara who lingered behind. She stepped closer to him.

"John are you okay?" She asked kindly, but there was also concern in her voice.

"I am fine, Liara. I am okay." He assured her with a slight smile.

"Alright then. I will leave you here." Liara left him there. Next second Joker contacted John through comm, " _Commander, there is a comm buoy nearby. I can link us in if you want to report back to the Citadel Council. You know, to warn them about Sovereign."_

 _"_ Set the link up, Joker. They need to know."

" _Patching it through._ "

 **FEW MINUTES LATER**

"Commander Shepard. I'm pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success." The asari councilor greeted John.

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of krogan serving under him." The turian councilor said.

"The krogan would have served Sovereign. A _Reaper_." John said.

"Yes, we saw mention of this in your report. Sovereign. A sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming… if it turns out to be accurate." The salarian councilor said.

' _Really? Now they are doubting me?'_ John thought. "Sovereign is a reaper. Saren confirmed it." John insisted.

"He's playing you, Shepard. Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your vision. And the Reapers." The turian councilor argued.

"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information." The salarian councilor added.

"Sooner or later you're going to have to take something I say on faith, councilor." John replied a bit irritated.

"Try to see this from our perspective, Commander. Saren is a threat we can recognize. However, as far as we know, the Reapers only exist in your visions." The asari councilor added.

"Our decisions affect trillions of lives. We cannot act on the accusations of a single person. Even a Spectre. Not without solid evidence." The salarian councilor said.

"The council cannot take any official action here. That is why we created the Spectres. You have the authority to act as you see fit." The asari councilor explained.

"If you truly believe Sovereign is the real threat, you must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren." The salarian councilor added.

"Good luck, Commander. From all of us." The asari councilor said before ending the transmission.

" _I forwarded the mission update to the Citadel, Commander. We've got confirmation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his geth._ "

"Back to the Citadel, Joker. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet!" John said.

" _Yes, sir!_ "

 **FEW HOURS LATER AT THE CITADEL**

"Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council is finally taking real action against Saren!" Udina said.

"The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel…. as you believe… we will be ready for him." The asari councilor said.

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems." The turian councilor informed.

"How many ships are you sending to attack Ilos?" John asked.

"Ilos is only accessible through the My Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems. Commander, if we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war." The salarian councilor said.

"Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over." Udina said.

"One ship in the Terminus Systems won't start a war. I can be discreet." John said.

"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet." The turian councilor said.

"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control." The asari councilor added.

"Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!" John replied angrily.

"Saren is the master manipulator. The Conduit is just his distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel." The salarian councilor said.

"Sovereign's the real threat! Saren is just a servant of the Reapers." John said frustrated.

"Only you have seen the Reapers. And then only I'm visions. We won't invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream." The asari councilor said.

"If Saren finds the Conduit, we are all screwed. We have to go to Ilos!" John tried to make them see the real threat out there.

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go." The turian councilor said.

"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"You bastard! You're selling us out!" Ashley was about to punch Udina in his face but luckily Kaidan restrained her.

"It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded." Udina said.

"Are you insane? After everything I've done, you still don't believe me?" John said outraged. He really couldn't believe that the Council is doing this to him.

"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course." Udina said smugly.

John looked at all of them with anger in his eyes. They really can't imagine what's out there… waiting for the right time to attack. And now instead of helping him, they just grounded him. Defeated, he retreated with Ashley and Kaidan.

 **30 MINUTES LATER IN THE NORMANDY**

Miranda heard what happened with the Council. She couldn't believe that they grounded him. How could they do it, after all he did? This is one of the reasons she hated politics. Now she wanted to be at his side, supporting him as a…. friend. She found him sitting with his back against his weapons locker. His gaze remained distant even when she reached there.

"John…" She whispered. She called him by his first name as she used to call him. After she came to know that he is her John, she can't bring herself to call him Shepard anymore.

"We are grounded, Alicia. The Council didn't believe me. If Saren get his hands on the Conduit, I don't know what will happen." John whispered.

"I don't know what will happen but know this I am with you always, John." Miranda said taking his hands in hers.

"That means a lot. Thanks, Alicia." He replied with a slight smile. Then surprising her, he pulled her into a hug. Miranda's hand automatically went under his hands and to his back embracing him in return. She smiled and a small tear left her eyes unknown to him. She felt safe in his embrace, again after so many years.

She pulled back from his embrace and looked straight in his eyes. Those eyes in which she can lost herself every time. John also got lost in her blue eyes. Unknown to them their faces were extremely close to each other, their noses almost touching. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. As their lips were about to met, Joker's voice were heard in comm, " _Commander, got a message from Captain Anderson. The Captain said to meet him at Flux. The club is down in the wards._ "

"Sounds important. You'd better go." Miranda said. He nodded at her.

On his way to Flux, John was stopped by a female reporter. "Khalish bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Would you answer a few questions for our viewers?"

"What do you want to know?"

"You've been given a unique position to represent our race. People want to get a sense of how you'll do that. Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for 26 years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first human Spectre?"

"The Spectres represent the best of every species in the galaxy. To be asked to join them in an honor." John replied.

"Some have said your appointment is the Citadel 'throwing human a bone.' Have you encountered any situations where Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of the Earth?"

"The Council is concerned with the needs of the whole galactic community. We're part of that community now. Our needs are on their agenda, but we're one of the many."

"You really do believe that, don't you?"

"I do. Otherwise I wouldn't have said so."

"Alright. You've been given command of an advanced human worship for your missions. Is there anything you would like to say about it?"

"Actually, the Normandy, was co-developed by human and turian engineers. Its design incorporates many innovations. All of which are classified, I am afraid." John said.

"So the turians have knowledge of the Normandy that is being kept secret from the Alliance public? Do you think it was appropriate for the Earth's most advanced warship over to the Citadel?"

"I wasn't aware it had been 'handed over' to anyone. I'm in command and last I checked, I'm human. Same goes for my crew."

"Human, yes. But you do work now for the Citadel, Commander. Speaking of your new job, did the Council ordered you to sabotage human research concern on Noveria?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss the details of my missions." John replied, a bit irritated.

"So you were there on a mission from the Council? Interesting. Given your recent experiences, do you think humanity will ever get the respect it deserves from the Galactic community?"

"Respect's a funny thing. People always assume they deserve it. The truth is, respect is earned. And I firmly believe, we can earn it."

 _Well said._ Miranda thought. For some time the reporter was getting to her nerves. She don't know how John has managed to remain calm and hold his composure for so long. If she was in his place, she would've punched the reporter in the face by now. helpless, she just glared at the female reporter from a little distance where she was standing with others. From the corner of her eyes she saw that Ashley was trying hard to not to walk forward and deck the reporter, right there in the public.

"You're an idealist, Commander. A sincere one. I hope you are right. One last question, Commander. Rumors back home say that you are tracking a rogue Spectre named Saren. Do you have any comment on that?"

"I'm afraid I can't comment on whatever my current assignment may or may not be."

"Don't worry. We will find out. The eyes of Earth are on you. Don't let us down." She paused for a moment and said again, "Thanks for your time, Commander."

 **FEW MINUTES LATER, DOWN AT THE FLUX**

"I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened." Anderson said.

"So did I." Said a female voice from behind.

John turned around, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened John. So, I came down here to tell you that I believe you. We believe in you." Hannah said. Anderson nodded.

"Thanks, mom. That means a lot to me." He paused and turned towards Anderson. "They pulled me out of the mission, just like they forced you to give up the Normandy."

"Udina has always been a bastard! And still is." Hannah cursed under her breath.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to send a message to you before you docked. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!" Anderson said.

"There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded." John said.

"Citadel control locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the Ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back online. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone. I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control center. You'll have few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened." Anderson revealed.

"That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get in?" John asked.

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when the systems come back online." Anderson assured.

"You're going to get yourself killed. There has to be another way." John protested.

"Don't worry, John. I will be with him to distract the guards." Hannah assured.

"Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack in his office, maybe I can override it." Anderson said.

"He won't just stand by while you use his computer." John said.

"Hopefully, he won't be there. If he is, I'll just have to think of something." Anderson said.

"Udina won't forgive this, Captain. You'll be charged with treason, a capital offense." John said.

"We don't have a lot of options. I break into the ambassador's computer, or I take my chances with the patrols in the Citadel control." Anderson shrugged.

"You'll have a better chance if you go after the Ambassador's computer." John said.

"I was hoping you'd say that. The ambassador has made this personal." Anderson replied gritting his teeth in anger. Then he looked up towards John, who was already standing on his feet, "You ready to get the hell off this station, Commander?"

John nodded in confirmation. "Let's do this."

"I'll take care of the lockdown. You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by." Anderson said as he stood up on his feet.

Hannah faced her son. "I want to go with you, John. But I can't. For that I am sorry. Know this, I have faith in you and if anyone can stop Saren, it's you."

"Thanks, mom." John said embracing his mother.

She kissed his cheeks and murmured in his ears, "I am proud of you. If your father was here, he would have been too." She only got a smile from his son in return.

 **BACK IN THE NORMANDY**

"Be ready Joker. The Captain will bring the systems online. Anytime now." John said to Joker.

"I am ready, Commander." Joker said. As the words left his mouth, the systems did come online.

"Get us out of here, Joker! Now!" John said.

He didn't needed to be told twice.

"You know they will strip you off your rank for this." Miranda said.

"The Alliance have to catch me before they can strip my rank. But honestly? I don't care at this point about that." John replied.

"We had to do this, John. We had to. And you know that. There was no other way." Miranda said. Miranda noticed that he didn't mind her calling him by his first name.

"You are right, Alicia. But for now, I will just close my eyes for an hour or two." John said.

"Yeah. Me too." They parted their ways there.

 **SOMETIME LATER**

The commanding officer's quarter was dark and the Commander was sleeping soundlessly on the bed with his arms folded over his chest. Suddenly, the door chimed opened silently and a figure came in towards the bed. The unknown person placed something in the Commander's palm carefully, without waking him up. Then the figure bent down and kissed the commander lightly on his lips and left the cabin silently leaving him in his sleep. After she left, John's fingers tightened around the object she left in his hand. It was the _locket._

 **A/N: I am almost at the end of ME1 part after completing this chapter. I haven't changed things much here, but I hope you like whatever I wrote. Please let me know by reviews about what you think.**


	27. Goodbye

**7 HOURS LATER**

"Ah, Shit! That was close!" Ashley cursed as a bullet missed her head by inches.

"Ah! It's hell here!" Garrus agreed.

"You expected anything else?!" Tali responded angrily.

"Liara you sure this is the way to the gate controls?" John asked from behind his cover.

"I am." Liara replied shortly.

They were facing too many geth troopers in their way. They were almost cornered. Suddenly, John had an idea. "Alicia, Tali, Kaidan….. use those cloaks and flank them." They nodded and immediately became invisible. They crept forward slowly avoiding any geth attention. They took flanking position and rained heavy fire on them at John's signal. The geth troops were taken by surprise at the sudden attack. Many of them fell instantly against rapid fire of weapons. Next, the rest of them were taken down by combination of tech and fire powers.

"I hope that's the last of them." Garrus said. "Umph….!" Garrus fell on top of Tali when something hit him at his back.

Everyone ducked as bullets started to rain on them. "Shit! More geth!" Ashley cursed.

"Garrus get off from me!" Tali spat as Garrus was still lying on top of her.

"This is not the time for that Garrus!" John joked while giving them covering fire. Garrus cursed under his breath as he got on his feet and Tali followed.

"That must be the way." Liara indicated the way from where the geth were coming.

"You are right, Liara. Let's push them back!" John said. The team worked in perfect synchronization and easily killed the geth troops in no time. They moved forward and again faced more geth troops in their way. But the geth were no match for them.

"There!" Liara said in excitement. "I see it." She pointed above them. John noticed the stairs and quickly reached there wasting no time. Saren is already way ahead of them, they are already late. Just before they touched the ground, Saren entered the Prothean bunker and sealed it from inside. The door is very strong and they couldn't just blow it up with any of their fire powers. So, from then they were searching for the terminal to activate the gate and enter the Prothean bunker and now, they finally found it. John quickly opened the gate and turned away to leave but Alicia stopped him by putting her hand on his arm, "Wait, something is happening."

A damaged hologram appeared and someone was talking in it but it was unclear and mostly full of static. They could catch few words but they couldn't understand the language.

"What is this thing saying?" Ashley said.

"I recognize the language as Prothean which none of us can understand…." Liara said but John interrupted her. "I can understand what it is talking about. Not clearly because it's full of static but I can understand it's talking about the Reaper invasion. It's the warning."

"You… you can understand Prothean?" Ashley asked in amazement.

"Of course he can!" Liara said in excitement. "Between the beacons and the Cipher, an understanding of the Prothean language has been transferred in his mind."

"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help. We should go." John said.

 **FEW MINUTES LATER INSIDE THE PROTHEAN BUNKER**

Garrus was driving the Mako with Tali and Wrex at his side. John was sitting on the passenger seat at the corner with his head leant against the glass window of the Mako. He was just staring outside, not paying attention to what others were saying. So, he didn't know a pair of curious blue eyes were watching him the whole time. His mind was both in peace and anxiety. When he woke up from his slumber inside his cabin, he found that locket in his hand, safely secured, _her locket._ He couldn't think of anyway about how it came back in his possession. He had lost it a while ago, when they were confronting Liara's mother, Benezia. Curiously, he opened the locket and to his surprise he found a small piece of paper inside it. There were only two words written on the paper. _Have faith._ What took him aback was that he recognized the handwriting immediately, it was her handwriting. There was no mistake recognizing that. It instantly gave his mind immense satisfaction knowing that she is alive and well. But his anxiety grew when he thought about why didn't she came to him and how the locket came to him. He was inside an Alliance vessel, there's no way she was in the Normandy. But then he remembered that a while ago he sensed her presence in the Normandy. At that time he thought that he was wrong, but now he is sure that he was right. She was there, in the Normandy. Then, how come no one noticed her? His thoughts halted when the Mako stopped.

"What happened? Why are we stopping?" He asked.

"There's some kind of force field ahead of us. There's no way we can go through it." Garrus informed.

"Work of Saren?" Alicia asked.

"I don't think so." Liara said.

They got down from the Mako and found an elevator at their left side. They took it and reached the top to find another hologram like the previous one. The only difference was that it was working.

" _You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventually was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warnings through the beacons."_ The hologram said.

"Looks like some kind of VI program. Pretty badly damaged." Wrex said.

" _I do not sense any indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."_

"This is incredible. An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it." Liara exclaimed in joy.

" _I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."_

"Why did you bring me here?" John asked Vigil.

" _You must break a cycle that continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of the government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually as enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed."_

"If he turns on the relay, the Reapers can wipe out the Council and the Citadel fleet in one fell swoop!" John said in understanding.

" _That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire was crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."_

"Some of you must have managed to survive?" John asked hopefully.

" _Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated agents became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough."_

"I don't understand. Where did the Reapers go after they conquered your people?" John asked confused.

" _Our worlds were stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value…. All resources, all technology were_ _taken_. _Certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them. All evidence of the Reaper invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaves were left behind, abandoned. Mindless husks no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide was complete."_

"What do the Reapers get out of this? Why do they keep repeating this pattern of genocide over and over?"

" _The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves of resources. More likely, that are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend. In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them."_

"You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do."

" _The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."_

"Goddess! The Conduit is not a weapon. It is a back door to the Citadel!" Liara said.

"What happened next?" John asked ignoring Liara for the moment.

" _We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger has passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling."_

"How did you survive?"

" _I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even those were in danger when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay."_

"There were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?" Liara said outraged.

"You were programmed to protect them! Not kill them!" John said.

" _The outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation. I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species were doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key."_

"Aren't they under the influence of the Reapers?" Tali asked.

" _The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made modifications. This time when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."_

"Saren can use the Conduit to bypass all the Citadel's external defenses." John mumbled to himself.

" _Correct. And once inside, he can transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again._ "

"Is there any way we can stop them?"

" _There's a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."_

"Wait! Where's the Citadel's master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that." Wrex said.

" _Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination."_

"Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!" John ordered.

When they reached the Mako they saw that the force field has disappeared and they could see a faint blue light in the distance. They quickly entered the Mako and this time John took the driver's seat. He drove through the geth troops. Garrus gunned downed as many as he could and John ran over a few. The Mako took several hits in the process and its shield was down to 0%. But he ignored it. They had no time to lose. He can see the Conduit now, it was close, very close. Several geth were guarding it. He just drove forward and entered the relay. Next thing they knew their heads were upside down and they were at the Citadel. They could hear the sounds of fighting there, echoes of people screaming. They got out of the Mako unharmed. John looked around. He didn't recognize the area. He never saw it before. Slowly keeping their eyes on their surrounding they started to move forward trying to find Saren. Suddenly their comm became alive and Joker's voice was heard, " _Commander, we got a serious problem. The Council and the civilians need to be evacuated. Commander Bailey is on the task of evacuating the Council. But he and his team is under heavy fire. They need assistance. On the other hand they don't have enough men to evacuate the civilians. What can we do?"_

"Joker, the Council is most important but we can't let the civilians die too. I am sending Ashley and Kaidan to help Bailey. Garrus, Tali and Alicia will escort the civilians out of there. You lock in on my coordinates and pick them up." John said looking at his team. Everyone nodded in agreement but Alicia was looking a little hesitant even though she agreed to his orders. He saw her coming towards him and next thing he knew she was dragging him by his hand towards a dark corner. No one noticed as they were keeping watch.

"Alicia… what's wrong?" John asked when she let go of his hand.

"I…. I want to stay by your side until the end, Commander." She replied.

"I appreciate it, Alicia but those civilians needs you. I need your help to keep them safe. Please!" John requested.

She nodded and turned away from him. "I just…" She wanted to say something but stopped when the Normandy arrived. Defeated she started to walk away from him. This cannot end like this. Never. What if she never get another chance to tell him the truth or how she feels. But she cannot. She have to believe in him. It's not that she didn't trust him, she does more than anyone else. But last time….. to ensure her safety he broke her heart. Now again the situation may be exactly not the same, but it's definitely more dangerous. She made a decision at that moment. She cannot tell him who she is, but she can tell him how she feels about him. Yes, she can do that. She stopped in her tracks and swiftly turned around and begin to march towards him with purpose in her eyes.

John saw Alicia suddenly turned around and started to walk towards him again. He stared at her confused, not knowing what she wants. _Maybe she wants to say goodbye or something like that_. He thought. But what she did next completely took him by surprise.

Miranda watched him, looking at her with confused eyes. When she reached him, she didn't let him speak. Instead, she wove her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep passionate kiss. He grunted in surprise. The kiss was sweet and loving letting her remember all the times she kissed him, when they stayed together. But she pulled back quickly realizing that the others will definitely notice now. She looked straight at his eyes and whispered the words which was deep inside her heart, "I love you. I love you, John Shepard and thank you for loving me back." Then she left him not giving any chance to response.

 _ **A/N: I know this chapter is short and I am posting after a month. But the next chapter is coming very quickly. I've already started it. Thanks for reading my story and please don't forget to review!**_ __


	28. The Battle of the Citadel

John just stood there with his mouth opened and watched her go. He couldn't say anything because there was nothing to say. At Joker's voice in his comm, he got out from the shock.

"Joker what is it?" John asked.

" _Ummm…. Things are not looking good, Commander. Sovereign is coming._ "

"Drop them off and get the hell out of here, Joker. Get to a safe distance and rally the fleet. Prepare to attack, once I contact you… Wait!" Suddenly John realized something. "How are we maintaining contact here, Joker? The communication should have been down."

" _About that…. I will tell you later, Commander. We… We need to talk in private_."

John didn't press Joker for the information. It isn't much important to know how they are maintaining contact in this situation. "Very well. We will talk later." _If I am still alive._ He thought.

He, Wrex and Liara saw the others boarding the shuttle and flew away. "Guess, it's up to us now." Wrex said.

"Yeah." John replied.

 **THE COUNCIL**

"Secure that door! Make sure nothing gets through. We have to hold on until the reinforcements and the evacuation team arrives." Bailey ordered his men. They nodded and concentrated on securing the perimeter. The members of the Council was secured inside a tight security room, at least for some time. Bailey prayed for the reinforcements to arrive soon because they are slowly getting overwhelmed by the geth. His men are trained but they needed to be commanded to fight efficiently. He can command them, but he cannot move away from near the Councilors. They need to be protected at all cost and he was the last line of defense. Bailey couldn't understand why all of a sudden the geth are attacking the Citadel. Rumors are that they are working for Saren, a rogue Spectre.

 _What can they possibly want? To eliminate the Councilors and take control of the Citadel or something else?_

A loud sound got Bailey's attention. He saw a couple of his men were blasted off their feet by the explosion. "Damn! They have started to breach our defenses! We can't hold them off for much longer." One of his men shouted.

"Hold them off! I don't care how you do it. The Council needs to be protected at all cost." Bailey yelled. He saw more geth foot soldiers arriving. Bailey also couldn't understand how they entered the Citadel without anyone noticing them. They had a perfect plan. First, they disabled the security system of the Citadel from inside and when the defenses are gone they are attacking openly. _Saren is behind all of this._

"Commander, a massive vessel is approaching the Citadel. Our defensive fleets are unable to hold it off. Our attacks is not even scratching it. Damn!" The soldier cursed.

"What's wrong?" Bailey asked.

"It took down all our fleets. It has some kind of defensive shield which our firepower cannot penetrate."

His words weren't even finished when they saw the massive fleet – Sovereign.

Inside the Councilors were panicking. They may be the controller of the Citadel but they have no experience in combat. Suddenly they looked out of the small glass window and their eyes widened. They saw it. Sovereign.

"We should have listened to Shepard." The asari councilor said. "He was right and we didn't even believe him."

Bailey fired his avenger rifle and took out the two geth who already breached their defenses. Suddenly he felt pain in his left leg and fell down on the floor. He looked down and saw blood was running down from a wound on his left leg. He is shot. _There is no hope. Where are the reinforcements?_ Bailey's eyes widened as he saw at least a dozen of geth soldiers coming towards them and there was no one left to stop them. His men were busy holding off other geth in other areas. But the geth couldn't approach further. A huge blast reaped them to pieces. Shocked, Bailey turned his gaze to see the Normandy flying overhead and a shuttle is approaching to his location. _Shepard._ He thought. Soon the shuttle landed and at least ten soldiers came out of it. He recognized two of them. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. _But where is Shepard?_ He let out a sigh of relief. Now they have hope. From what he heard, those two alone can do a lot of damage and they are perfectly capable of commanding his men. In his condition he is incapable to do anything now. His leg is pretty badly hurt. Next, he saw Ashley Williams approaching him. "We need a medic over here." She said and bent down in front of him to look at his wound. "I'm okay" He assured her. "It's not okay Commander Bailey, if that wound is not treated immediately you would lose a lot of blood. I see the bullet isn't inside your leg. It's out. It completely penetrated your leg." Defeated he let the medic treat him. "Where is Shepard?" He asked her.

"The Skipper….. Commander has gone after Saren. He needed to be stopped." Ashley said.

"What does Saren want?"

"Saren wants to take hold of the Citadel and then transfer its control over to Sovereign. Once it gets control of the station it will open the relay and the Reapers will come from the dark space and then all will be lost." Kaidan answered Bailey.

"Does the Reapers really exists? And Sovereign is a Reaper?" Bailey asked.

"Yes they exists and Sovereign is a Reaper. This situation wouldn't have arrived if the Council listened to the Skipper!" Ashley spat. Bailey nodded.

 **RESCUING THE CIVILIANS**

"Garrus! There's a child over there!" Tali yelled.

"I am a little busy over here!" Garrus replied after shooting a geth.

"I got her!" Miranda rushed towards the child. The child was a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, no older than six. Suddenly, something exploded behind the girl and she shrieked in fear. Miranda saw broken glass parts are coming towards the girl. Without thinking twice she embraced the girl and turned her around to take the damage. Luckily her shield was able to protect them from getting their skins pierced by the glass. Miranda signaled Garrus and Tali that they were alright.

"Are you okay?" She asked the girl softly.

"Mhm! But I am scared." The girl mumbled in reply. Then she wove her little arms around Miranda's neck and hid her face there. Miranda let out a small smile at the girl's behavior. She rubbed her back to soothe her. It worked. After few seconds Miranda pulled herself away from the girl's embrace gently. The little girl frowned at her. Miranda touched the girl's cheek lovingly.

"Can you do something for me?" Miranda asked kindly. The girl nodded in reply. "I want you to be brave for me. Can you do that?"

"I will try but I don't know if I can do that." She replied in a shaky voice.

"Hey! Look at me. Nothing will happen to you. I will get you out of here, safely. I promise."

"You promise?"

"Yes. It's a promise."

"Okay."

Miranda signaled Garrus that it's time to move after she checked over the other survivors. They slowly and carefully crept forward making sure to avoid all contacts. With all these civilians they cannot engage in combat with the enemies. It will cost innocent lives. Tali's drone helped them to scout the path ahead and make sure that it's clear of enemies.

 _ **Sometime later….**_

"Alright! We are here. This place looks safe enough." Garrus said. Tali and Miranda looked around to make sure that everything was alright. All this time the little girl remained clung to Miranda holding her hand tightly.

"What are we supposed to do now?" One of the civilians asked. He was human male and very mean looking.

"We wait." Tali replied.

"Just like that? Wait for what?"

"Wait for the Citadel's arms to open and help arrive." Garrus said.

"This is absurd! We cannot just sit here. We need to get off the station. Now!"

"And how would you like to do that? Huh?!" Miranda asked with her arms folded over her chest. Her voice filled with irritation.

"I…. don't know. You people should figure it out."

"We cannot. There's no way." Tali said simply.

"And when will the arms open?"

"It's up to Shepard, now." Garrus said.

"Shepard? You mean _the Commander Shepard_?"

"Yes. Him." Garrus replied shortly.

The man got on his feet and turned towards the other survivors. "Brothers and sisters! We are waiting for someone who is probably busy in saving the Council, doing their bidding. We cannot wait for him. He isn't coming for us. He belongs to the Council, he is nothing but their lapdog. We should….. Ahh!" The man couldn't finish his what he was saying as a hard fist connected with his jaw. The force of the blow threw him on the floor. Completely shocked by the sudden attack, he looked up to see a dark skinned woman with blue eyes was standing over him with her fists clenched in anger. Her blue eyes were blazing with fury.

"How dare you insult him?! He is risking his life to save all of your asses and this is the return he gets for all he did and still doing. People like you don't deserved to be rescued." Miranda spat angrily. The man begin to cower in fear under her glare. Tali came to the man's rescue at once. She placed her hand on Miranda's shoulder and stopped her, "Alicia…. He is not worth it. Leave him."

"Fine! But if he says one more word against him, I will break every bone in his body, slowly and painfully. I swear." Miranda warned and stormed away to the far corner of the room. She sat down there with her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She is concerned for him and now this insolent man is trying to blame him for their condition. It was no one's fault, except those politicians. If they listened to him, this situation wouldn't have arrived. Suddenly, she felt a warm and soft touch on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find a pair of brown eyes staring at her blue ones. Miranda smiled at the little girl. Seeing her smile the girl immediately lunged at her and embraced her tightly.

"Hey, it's okay. Everything will be alright." Miranda assured the girl while running her fingers through her blonde locks. The little girl pulled back and smiled at Miranda.

"What's your name?" Miranda asked the girl.

"Miranda." The girl replied.

The elder Miranda let out a full smile at the girl's answer. "Okay. Now you guess mine." She said almost in a childlike excitement.

The little Miranda pouted and thought for a while but she couldn't think of a name. "I don't know. Tell me. Please. Tell me! Tell me!" She stared at the elder Miranda with puppy dog eyes which melted the elder woman instantly. Miranda couldn't contain her laughter after watching the expression on the girl's face. Everyone looked at her in surprise, thinking that woman has probably gone mad. Garrus and Tali looked at each other and shrugged. They have never seen Alicia behaving like this.

Miranda whispered in the girl's ear, "I will tell you only if you promise me that you won't tell anyone."

"I promise." The girl agreed.

"My name is also Miranda." She whispered.

"Really?! Can we be friends then?" The girl asked.

"We are already friends." Miranda softly said.

Suddenly the girl noticed something. "Hey! What is this on your face?"

"On my face? Where?" Miranda asked.

"Here!" She placed her hand right beside Miranda's lips. Miranda herself touched the spot and her eyes widened. She realized somehow her mask has cracked and some part of it is already worn off, exposing her perfect pale skin. She is lucky that Garrus and Tali haven't spotted it yet.

"It's…" She started to explain but Garrus interrupted her.

"He did it! He did it! The arms are opening. We have gained control over the station." Garrus said and in excitement he embraced Tali tightly. Luckily Tali wears helmet, so he couldn't see her blushing under her helmet. Miranda looked up towards Garrus with pride in her eyes. She knew he could do it, if anyone could, it was him. This was her belief and he didn't disappoint her. Miranda realized this is her time to disappear. After this moment, Alicia will only exist in the memories of the Normandy crew. She activated her omni-tool and typed some commands, which sent a signal.

"Reinforcements have arrived along with extraction team. We are ready to go." Garrus said after he let Tali go. Everyone started to move towards the shuttle that landed a few feet away. Except one. The little girl was walking towards the shuttle but suddenly she noticed her friend wasn't there. She turned back to see that she was still standing back. She ran back to her friend.

"You must go." Miranda said.

"Aren't you coming?" The girl asked.

"I can't. It's my time to leave." Miranda replied truthfully.

"You can come with us. We are all leaving. Please." The girl requested.

"I…"

"Come on everyone. Quickly." Garrus shouted. That got the girl's attention. She looked back towards Garrus for a moment and it was enough time for Miranda to activate her cloaking device and slipped past her quietly. The girl turned around to find her friend is gone. She looked around wildly but couldn't find her friend anywhere. She immediately started to cry. Hearing the girl's cry, Garrus came to her and lifted her up in his arms.

"What happened?" He asked.

"My friend is gone." She replied while crying.

"Your friend? What….. Wait a minute where is Alicia?" Garrus asked Tali.

"I don't know. She was here just a minute ago." Tali said.

"I am telling you she is gone. Why don't you listen?"

"What do you mean she is gone?" Garrus asked.

"One moment I was asking her to come with us and next moment she was gone. Disappeared."

"The cloaking device." Tali concluded.

"But why?" Garrus said.

"I don't know Garrus. But we need to get out of here, now." Tali said urgently. Garrus nodded and the three of them boarded the shuttle and left the station.


	29. Victory at last?

_**Note: Well the last chapter is up. Thanks for sticking with me.**_

 **[/\\]**

"Get to the elevator!" John ordered while running and shooting the husks. He, Wrex and Liara got inside the elevator and activated it. The elevator was taking them towards the tower but suddenly it stopped.

"What happened?" Wrex growled.

"Saren must have disabled the elevator. We're going out." John replied and broke the elevator's glass with the back of his rifle. They wore their helmets and activated the magnetic shoes to walk and survive in the space.

"The turian said it right. Nothing is easy, when you are involved Shepard." Wrex said.

"You expected anything else, Wrex?" Liara asked.

"No." He shook his head. John smiled. "Come on let's go. We don't have much time. If Sovereign gains control of the station, then all is lost."

The three of them moved forward, watching their flanks. They didn't had to wait much, they got ambushed by geth soon. Killing the geth was no problem for them. But after moving farther, they faced bigger threats. Saren's krogan warriors. The three of them open fired and the krogans took hit. But it wasn't enough to stop them. One of them tackled John and crushed him against the wall. He felt the wind knocked out of him. Liara somehow managed to save herself from being crushed by another krogan warrior and Wrex was trying to stop another in what, seemed like a wrestling match. John tried to free herself from the massive creatures grip, but it was fruitless. His enemy was too strong. The krogan warrior began to crush him in his bare arms. Somehow, he did manage to get his hand on his handgun and with all his might, he head butted the krogan. In an instant it let it go. John wasted no time, he aimed his gun at its head and emptied the at least 10 bullets in the krogan's head to make sure it was dead. On the other side, Liara cleverly cast a singularity and caught the krogan warrior in its pull field. Wrex used all his strength and threw his opponent in the singularity's pull field. Liara lobbed an inferno grenade and jumped away. The explosion was great. It blasted the krogans bodies into pieces.

"We should make sure we don't run into any more of them." John said and the other two nodded in agreement.

They pushed further towards the tower but again got ambushed by geth. This time, there seem to be numbers of the geth were endless, because there was a geth ship flying above them, which kept on dropping reinforcements.

"We are wasting time. Their numbers are getting more and more." Liara said.

"We have to take down that ship, somehow." John said.

"How? Our weapons won't even scratch it." Liara said.

"Those AA guns." John pointed the large three AA guns. "We have to activate them. Liara can you do it? We two will give you covering fire." John suggested.

"This seems to be the only way." Liara prepared to move, but suddenly she remembered something and stopped. "I am so stupid."

"Why?" John asked.

"I still have the cloak. It will make things easier." Liara said.

"Alright, Liara. But be careful. Don't get spotted. We will keep them busy." John said.

She nodded and disappeared from sight. "Wrex, keep them busy. Don't let them spot, Liara."

"You got it, Shepard." He said after blasting away one geth with his biotics.

The plan was successful. Liara managed to remain undetected and activated the three AA guns while John and Wrex keep the geth busy. Against the fire power of the AA guns the geth ship was easily destroyed. They quickly killed the remainder of the geth and moved forward. On their way towards the tower, they faced another final threat. Six geth primes. They weren't not easy to kill, since none of them had the ability to take down their shields. They had to slowly drain their shields with gunfire. When their shields completely disappeared, the three of them lobbed all the grenades they had left and it was enough to kill all six of the primes. Pushing a few feet in front they discovered a shaft, which led them straight to the tower.

"Look, there. It's Saren!" Liara said.

"Quick! Move!" John said.

"He is mine." Wrex growled in anger. There were a few geth in between them and Saren who were taken down in no time.

"Ah! Shepard! You made it this far. But soon you will die. Sovereign will gain control of the Citadel within a few minutes and then the relay will open. You know what that means, right? The Reapers will return and there is nothing you can do to stop it. And since the last time I faced in Virmire, Sovereign has upgraded me. See?" He said flexing his arms.

"Sovereign is controlling you, Saren. Try to concentrate on who you are." John said.

"You can't change my mind Shepard because I realize this is the ultimate solution. The Reapers are the ultimate solution." Saren said.

"Sovereign is clouding your mind Sa….. Agh!" John cried out when he got hit by a sudden tech attack. He flew back a few feet away and crashed down the stairs.

"John!" Liara cried out in fear.

"THIS IS YOUR END SHEPARD! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME! DIE!" Saren again attacked but he missed. Wrex got beyond furious. He ran towards Saren and tackled him. They both fell through a glass roof into a small kind of garden. Wrex kept on punching Saren in the face repeatedly but the turian was not effected by his blow much. With a powerful swing of his hand he sent Wrex a few feet away on the ground. Saren slowly and menacingly walked towards the fallen Wrex who was panting on the ground. He aimed his gun straight at Wrex's head. But he couldn't pull the trigger as he got hit by a biotic power from behind. Wrex took the chance and sent Saren a few feet away with a massive upper cut.

Blue blood was dripping from the turians lips. But he just smiled at them and wiped the blood away from his mouth. "Well, aren't you the daughter of Benezia. It's a shame you didn't take my offer. You would have survived if you joined me. But now, I have to kill you."

"I would never join you. I would rather die." Liara said and hurled another warp attack towards him. Her eyes widened when Saren just slapped the energy bolt away with his hand. But Saren staggered a few feet back when a sniper round hit him on his shoulder. John was standing above them with his sniper. Liara looked towards him. He was looking bad maybe worse. She could see his armor is almost destroyed where the tech attack hit him. With his eye signal Wrex blasted Saren at his back with his shotgun. In such a close range his shield didn't work. Saren's back got badly hurt. But he got to his feet immediately as if he was feeling no pain.

"I told you Shepard. Sovereign is upgraded me. I was better than you before and I am now." Saren mocked.

"You are more powerful than me, Saren. There's no doubt. But I have one thing, you will never have and which Sovereign will never understand." John said.

"Oh! And what is that?" Saren asked.

"Friendship and love." John said and jumped down into the garden with his assault rifle in his hand. Wrex tried to attack from behind but Saren hit him hard. John signaled Liara to cast a singularity behind Saren. The plan worked. Saren got distracted enough by the force field of the singularity long enough for John to get close and fire several rounds at Saren's head. His body fell to the ground dead.

"Told you so." John said. Then he helped Wrex up on his feet who was pretty badly hurt. "Wrex, you okay?"

"It will take more than that to kill me, Shepard!" Wrex joked. John nodded. "Make sure he is dead." He climbed up and went to the console and used the file which he got from Vigil. The file did work. He got temporary control of the station. Liara and Wrex also climbed up and stood beside him. He immediately opened the comm channel and heard Joker's voice again. Since they got out of the elevator he lost contact with Joker and John was glad that the henchman was alive.

" _Tell me it's you, Commander!_ " Joker said.

"It's me Joker. What's the situation out there?" John asked.

" _The Council and the civilians are safe. They are out of the station. We are ready to engage Sovereign_." Joker replied.

"Do it. Take it down." John ordered.

" _Aye, aye, Commander_." Joker kept the comm channel open. The three of them could hear the sounds of the assault on Sovereign.

" _It's no use Admiral. Sovereign is too strong. We must retreat!"_

" _Out of option. Hit it with everything you have."_

"Shit! Sovereign is too strong." John said.

"There's nothing you can do more John." Liara said.

Suddenly the area began to shake and red sparks could be seen down in the gardens around Saren's body. "What the….." Liara gasped. Next, Saren's body was hanging in the air and slowly it changed and took the form of some kind of monster.

"SHEPARD!" It growled and attacked them. It was fast too fast for them to even hit it with bullets. With one of its attack the three of them were blasted of its feet. "YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE SHEPARD. ONLY DEATH AWAITS YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU ORGAINICS LOVE WILL BE NO MORE. THE CYCLE WILL CONTINUE. AND IN FRONT OF OUR POWER YOU WILL FALL." Saren's body said in Sovereign's mechanical voice.

While lying on the ground, John saw only one thing when his eyes were closed and he was hearing Sovereign's word. It was kind of a glimpse of the future. Everything was in ruins. Nothing was alive, except him and in his arms lay a dead body of a woman whose eyes remained open after death. He was holding her dead body in his arms.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed. When he opened his eyes they were glowing blue. "You want to see what organics can do? I will show you. NOW!" John said coldly and got to his feet.

"DIE!" Sovereign said and attacked with incredible speed. Astonishing everyone, John grabbed the creature's throat with incredible speed.

"Machines can never take the place of organics." John replied and his body started to radiate more energy than before. The creature in his arm could do nothing. It only thrashed. And with a blast its body got blasted off into pieces.

Liara and Wrex saw the whole thing. They have never seen such anger in his eyes, not even like this. Except one time though. And that time Liara and Benezia witnessed it, witnessed the power this human possess. Slowly the dark energy around him faded away and Liara saw there was tracks of tear in his eyes. He was crying. Miraculously, he didn't lose his consciousness this time.

" _Sovereign's shield is down. This is the chance to take it down. Hit it with everything."_ They heard in the comm channel. Next they saw, a massive part of Sovereign which is being blasted apart by Alliance vessels is rushing towards the area where they are standing.

"Move! Move!" John yelled and the three of them ran.

 **FEW MINUTES LATER**

"Liara! Shepard! Wrex!" Garrus shouted with Tali, Captain Anderson, Ashley, Kaidan and several Alliance soldiers in his tow. They were searching for their friends in wreck in the Citadel tower. Captain Anderson discovered Liara and Wrex who were under a massive concrete slab. They were unharmed. But they couldn't find John.

"Liara…. Where's the Skipper?" Ashley asked her eyes full of fear.

Liara bowed her head as her eyes filled with tears. "No! No! It can't be. He can't be dead." Ashley whispered. Everyone bowed their head in sadness. The ladies were crying. Tali cried on Garrus' shoulder. Even Garrus eyes were breamed with tears for the loss of his _brother._

"Someone missed me?" A voice said from behind.

Everyone whipped their head towards the direction of the sound. And there he was standing there with a teasing grin on his face, holding his left hand in his right. In the next second he was engulfed in hug by Liara and Tali. "Oooommphhh!" He said as the wind was knocked out of him. Next came Garrus. When the two brothers were done, John moved towards Kaidan and Wrex. He shook hands with Kaidan and patted Wrex's shoulder. Anderson shook hands with John and congratulated him on his success. "Good work, Commander. You saved us all. And… it's good to see you alive." He joked. John chuckled, "Yeah….." Anderson walked away and began searching the wreck with the Alliance soldiers. Finally he turned towards Ashley who was looking at him with hints of tears in her eyes. He smiled at her. Then she ran towards him and engulfed him in a tight hug. John was surprised by her action but nevertheless he patted her back awkwardly. But what happened next, he wasn't prepared for it. Ashley pulled back from the embrace and kissed him hard, in front of everyone. Everyone gasped except Anderson who was turned away. But unknown to them he saw the whole thing and he had a smile on his face.

 **FEW HOURS LATER WITH THE COUNCIL**

"Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard." The Asari Councilor greeted John, Anderson and Udina. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the geth."

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we – The Council and the other civilians who were onboard the station could live." The salarian councilor said.

"There is no greater sacrifice and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." The Turian Councilor added.

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers." The Asari councilor acknowledged their mistake.

"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stands for." The salarian councilor said.

"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through actions." The turian councilor said.

The asari councilor added next. "Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."

"Councilor, on behalf of the humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept." Udina said.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council." The salarian councilor said.

"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight. Do you support any particular candidate?" The Asari councilor addressed John.

Udina looked at him hopefully but John knew who's the best candidate for the position is. "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

"Him? You got to be joking. Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking." Udina said outraged.

"Only with you, Ambassador. Only with you." Anderson joked.

"Are you sure about this, Commander? The Captain is a soldier, not a politician." Udina tried again. But John already made the decision. "We've got too many politicians on the Citadel. The Captain would be perfect for this job."

The Councilors accepted Anderson with open arms and he shared vows with them. John gave a nod towards Anderson and walked away from there after warning them about the incoming threat of the Reapers.

 **TWO DAYS LATER**

"Mom! I am okay! Alright?" John said for the fifth time.

"A mother must make sure for herself. Isn't it?" Hannah teased. John rolled his eyes. "So, I heard that you have a…. girlfriend?"

"Mom…. You know there can be no one….. Captain. Come in!" John said standing up.

Anderson came in and placed a data pad on the table in front of John. "You got a mission, Commander."

John looked at the data pad and nodded.

 **NEXT DAY AT MIRANDA'S FLAT….**

"Ori! Get the food from the fridge." Miranda said.

"I got it 'Randa. Be there now!" Oriana came to the kitchen and placed the food beside her sister. "So, when are you gonna tell me about this silly smile that you are wearing on your face all the time?"

"What smile?" Miranda tried to hide her smile but she couldn't. She remember handing Joker the small communication device before heading to get the Conduit. It was connected to her omni-tool and she heard all even after she left the Citadel. She was relieved and happy when she heard he was alive and well. And from then she couldn't stop smiling.

"Well?" Oriana asked impatiently.

Miranda smiled again and went to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. "What the….." Oriana said and followed her sister.

"'Randa come on….." She pleaded.

"I have found him, Ori. I have found my John." Miranda whispered with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Really?!" Oriana asked in excitement. "And…?"

"And… what?" Miranda frowned.

"Where is he, now?" Oriana asked.

In reply Miranda activated her computer and an interview of John played in it. "There he is."

"What?! Commander Shepard?! Really?" Oriana asked in disbelief.

Miranda nodded shyly. Oriana embraced her sister in joy.

Later that night Oriana woke up from her sleep by a sound. She sat up on her bed and looked around but there was nothing unusual. Then she noticed her sister wasn't beside her on the bed. "'Randa?" She called but there was no answer. Confused, she got down from the bed and looked around but her sister was nowhere to be found. She decided to look in the small room where her sister kept her things. When she was near the door of the room she heard news playing on the computer. She entered and got shocked. Her sister was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. Her eyes were unfocused but they were flooded with tears. Concerned she sat down beside her and shook her sister calling her name but she got no reply. She realized her sister is in shock. _But what could possibly make her sister go into shock?_ She wondered. Then her eyes fell on the news headlines on the computer and her eyes widened and began to fill with tears. "Oh…no…. Please no…."

The headlines was, " _ **The Normandy has been destroyed by an unknown enemy. There were several casualties. Most of the crew managed to survive but Commander Shepard, our hero, has been declared KIA.**_ "

 _ **Note: This is the last chapter of ME 1 part.**_ _ **Everything which is remaining unexplained will be explained in the future chapters.**_ _ **Please review and if anyone have any ideas about the plot of the ME2 part let me know. Thanks!**_


	30. Search for the Commander Part-1

ONE WEEK, AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NORMANDY

"Miranda you had taken a leave from your work and I feel bad to call you back. But the matter is urgent. With the destruction of the Normandy and most importantly with the death of Shepard all hope of humanity is lost." The Illusive Man said.

"Yes. He was a hero. All the things he did….. no one can ever repay him. We know the Reapers are returning but the question is does the Council and the Alliance believes that? I don't think so." Miranda said.

"That I know. But there is something else you don't know Miranda." The Illusive Man said.

 _What else is there for me to know about? Nothing matters to me anymore. I had lost him and with that lost everything._ The only thing that's keeping her moving in her life is her sister – Ori. She realized that the Illusive Man is watching her for some time now. "What is that I don't know, sir?"

"The Collectors. They are after Shepard's body." The Illusive Man revealed.

All the colors were drained away from Miranda's face. _The Collectors are after his body? Why?_

"What do the Collectors want with his body?" Miranda said.

"We don't know that. The rumors are that the Shadow Broker is selling Shepard's body to the Collectors. You must intervene this deal, Miranda. The Collectors must not get their hands on his body. And lastly, I have my few undercover agents already working to get Shepard's body back but they will need your help." The Illusive Man said.

 _The Illusive Man has agents working as undercover and how come she doesn't know about this?_ She thought. "Once we recover his body, what will be our task, sir?"

"Bring him alive." The Illusive Man said without any emotion.

"Bring him alive? That's just….. He is dead, sir." Miranda asked shocked at the Illusive Man's order. _How can anyone bring back a dead person alive?_

"It's up to you Miranda. Anything you will need, you will get it. Resources, men, credits and everything else. You have to bring him back, otherwise humanity will have no hope left." Illusive Man simply replied.

Miranda thought for a moment. Why is she losing hope? If this was the other way around, he would have tried his best to make things right, then why is she giving up on him. She can't do that. She will try until her last breath. She will bring him back. She is Miranda Lawson and nothing is impossible for her. She gets what she wants. She wants him back and she will get him. Until then she won't rest. Her face held a determined expression now.

"I will try my best, sir. But is there any lead? I mean I don't have any clues where the deal will be going on and other things….." Miranda said.

"Our agents have informed me, that Dr. Liara T'Soni is looking for Shepard's body herself. You can meet her. She is on her way to Omega to meet her contact." The Illusive Man revealed.

Miranda nodded. "I am on my way to Omega then."

 _No one will touch him again. She won't let it happen. She will get him back in her life and for that she will do anything._ With a determined expression on her face, she marched away to meet her partner, Jacob Taylor.

A SHUTTLE, NEAR OMEGA

"You saw the news, brother?" A turian asked his brother, who was sitting beside him.

"What news are you talking about?" His brother asked.

"Dah! The destruction of the Normandy and the death of the so called hero."

"Oh! That. Yeah I saw that." Then he nudged his brother in his ribs.

"What?"

"Look over there."

The turian turned to the direction his brother was indicating. There was a beautiful asari sitting in the corner of the shuttle. His eyes begin to fill with lust.

"Damn! She is sexy and hot too!"

"We should… you know." His eyes turned evil.

They saw the asari got up from her seat and coming towards them.

"Excuse me!" She said.

They turned towards him. One of them asked, "Yes?"

"Are we near Omega, now?" The asari asked.

"Yes we are. But we need the docking fees." One of the brothers said with sly grin.

The asari looked confused. "But I already paid them."

"We are aware of that. But we need additional docking fees from you." One of them said eyeing her body with lust.

Immediately the asari's eyes filled with disgust and anger. "Look, I am requesting you for the last time. I am not in the mood for this. Let me go appropriately, or the consequences will be severe."

"Really?" The turian said and tried to touch her breasts. But she was faster. She stepped back and twisted his arm. There was a loud crack as his hand broke. "ARGHHHH!" The turian screamed.

"You bitch!" The other one yelled and lunged at her. She avoided the tackle and flared up her biotics. "Don't say that I didn't warn you!" She said coldly and hit the turian with a powerful warp attack. He crumpled to the ground. Dead. She turned to the other turian in a threatening manner.

"I…. I am sorry! Please don't kill me." The turian begged at her.

She grabbed his collar and pulled him towards her. "Never try to mess with someone who was Commander Shepard's partner." The turians eyes widened in fear. Then she whacked him in the head with a biotic punch rendering him unconscious. By this time the shuttle has already landed in Omega. She marched away from there without a second glance.

LATER, IN THE AFTERLIFE CLUB ON OMEGA

The asari was sitting in the Afterlife club asking an elcor about Shepard's whereabouts. But she got no information. She looked away sadly. Then the elcor started talking about the Citadel, still being under construction. She heard that and began discussing about the Citadel. But they were interrupted by a mysterious hooded figure. He turned towards the asari and she recognized him as her contact.

She was on her feet within a second. "Where is he?"

"I will tell you everything. But not here. Let's go outside, Dr. T'Soni." The mysterious figure said. Liara nodded and they went outside, where they can talk without any interruption or anyone overhearing them.

Once outside the hooded figure dropped his hood and revealed his face. He was a _drell_.

"Feron….." Liara said.

"Dr. T' Soni…." Feron whispered back.

"Feron…. I am out of patience. Tell me about him."

"Shepard's body has been recovered and he lies in a stasis pod. He is neither dead nor alive…. for the moment." Feron said.

"How is that possible? I don't believe you. I need to see him with my own eyes, Feron." Liara said. Her heart was racing inside her chest.

"As you wish, Dr. T'Soni. Follow me." Feron said.

They started to leave the area but they found their way blocked by the Blue Suns. A mercenary group. "What do you want?" Liara asked flaring up her biotics.

"Now, now! Dr. Liara T'Soni." A krogan stepped forward. "You don't have the authority to speak until you get the permission to do so. Now, the Shadow Broker wants to know why are you after a dead man's body. What use is it to you?"

"I am not obliged to answer to you." Liara said.

"Very well. Then… DIE!" The krogan roared.

The Blue Suns were ready to fire on them but suddenly someone killed them with successive shots. Liara seized the opportunity and attacked the krogan at once with her biotics. She managed to kill the krogan with no difficulty.

"Let's go!" Liara said while dragging away Feron by his hand.

But they had to stop as Liara saw a female figure approaching them slowly. Because of the darkness around the area she couldn't make out the strangers face. But when the woman came close to her, Liara's eyes widened. Not in fear, but in recognition. "You?!" That was the only word that escaped her mouth.

 _ **Note: Short chapter, yeah. But until I start ME2, the chapters will be like this. Sorry for that.**_


	31. Search for the Commander Part-2

**OMEGA**

"You… Alicia….." The name was out of Liara's mouth before she knew it. She couldn't help it when she saw the woman standing in the dark. But when Liara saw her face she realized it wasn't Alicia.

"Dr. T'Soni." The woman greeted Liara after shaking her hand.

"Who are you?" Liara asked. She saw there was also a man with the woman. The woman has fair skin, raven hair and perfect blue eyes. In one word, she is beautiful but also dangerous. Liara could tell that about her after seeing her. The man seemed well built and he has dark skin with brown eyes. He looked gentler compared to the woman.

"Relax, Dr. T'Soni. We are not your enemies. We share the same goal as you. We are looking for the Commander's body….." Liara noticed that her voice slightly shook at the mention of Shepard. "This is Jacob Taylor, my partner and I am Miranda Lawson."

Liara gasped and her eyes were wide. _Miranda Lawson? The woman whom he loved?_ Liara looked at her carefully. _Yes, there's no doubt. It's her._ Liara saw her childhood picture in the locket that John showed her, Tali and Garrus. She still looks the same, mostly. But the innocence in her eyes were gone. Now, only a cold, empty look was there. _Does she know that Commander John Shepard was the very man whom she loved in her childhood? Does she still love him?_ But this questions held no meaning now, because Shepard is dead. He is gone. Liara shook her head and concentrated on the situation in hand.

"What do you want from me?" Liara asked, suspiciously.

"Our boss wants to talk with you." Miranda simply answered.

"Your boss?"

"The Illusive Man."

"What?! The Illusive Man? That means you are Cerberus…. I will never…."

"Listen!" Miranda shut Liara up. "I don't care what you think of me. But Cerberus is not as evil as you think. Besides, this doesn't matter. What matters is recovering his body and bring him back."

"Bring him back? What do you mean by 'bring him back'? He is dead! He is gone. Don't you know what that means?!" Liara almost yelled in anger. _Was that some kind of joke?_

"I know perfectly what it means. Our boss will explain everything to you once you see him. You have my word, that you will not be harmed." Miranda said.

"Why should I trust you? First of all, I don't even know you and lastly, you are Cerberus. I know all about your organizations." Liara said angrily but at the back of her mind she was a little helpful. _Can they really bring him back? Is it possible?_

"You don't have a choice, Doc." Jacob said.

Liara thought for a moment. "Very well, I will join you. But what about Feron?"

"I will disappear for now and try to gather new leads, Liara. Until you return…" Feron said.

They both nodded and went in different directions.

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"Dr. T'Soni. Thanks for joining us." The Illusive Man greeted.

"I am merely here to know what you want. I never said that I am joining you." Liara said.

"As you wish. We must now focus on finding Shepard. Because without him we are all doomed. Of all people you must know that the Reapers are returning and without Shepard everything will be lost."

"I know this. Get to the point."

"Do you know the Shadow Broker is selling Shepard's body to the Collectors?" Miranda asked.

"I know!"

"Since you already have the information I want you to find out why the Collectors are after Shepard's body and you must get his body back." The Illusive Man said. "This is not an order, Dr. T'Soni, but a request."

"Why me?" Liara asked.

"Nothing beats someone with a personal motive driving them." The Illusive Man simply said. "Miranda and Jacob will help you."

"Why do you want him?" Liara asked.

"We believe we can bring him back…"

"You believe? Huh! How?"

"Project Lazarus will be commenced once we recover his body."

"Project Lazarus?"

"Cutting edge technology and….." The Illusive Man explained Liara about the Lazarus Project.

Liara stared at the Illusive Man for few seconds, then eventually turned away and left with a small nod telling him silently that she will work with them. _I am only doing this for John._

 **LATER, BACK AT OMEGA**

"His body is still here." Miranda said to Liara.

"How can you be so sure?" Liara asked.

"Our men are watching every transport in and out of the station." Came the curt reply.

Liara nodded and they stood in silence for a minute. "It was the Blue Suns that attacked you and Feron." Miranda suddenly said.

"How did they know we will be there?" Liara mumbled.

"Someone must have informed them." Miranda suggested.

"Who can that be?"

"I don't know for sure."

"For sure. Does this mean that you have suspicions?" Liara asked but she got no answer. She turned towards Miranda to see that she was nowhere to be seen.

 **SOMEWHERE IN OMEGA**

Feron was walking purposefully, keeping his eyes and ears open. When he reached a dark corner, someone grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

"What?! You?!" Feron gasped.

"I know you are working for the Shadow Broker." Miranda said with venom in her voice. "Don't try to lie. Answer me, truthfully. Where is his body? Where is the deal going on?"

"It's true that I worked for the Shadow Broker in the past but for a while now, I am working for the Illusive Man. If you don't believe me, you can ask your boss." Feron said.

Miranda could see that the drell wasn't lying. _And why didn't the Illusive Man mentioned this to me?_

"Where is the deal going on?" Miranda asked.

"I really don't know. I am trying my best to get some clues." Feron said. Next, Feron felt himself being shoved away and the woman vanished from his sight.

Miranda was walking towards her destination with determination in her eyes. She knew perfectly well, who has the knowledge about the location of the deal. Aria T'Loak. There is absolutely nothing that happens on Omega which escapes her sight or ears. She knew this will be far too risky but there is nothing that she won't do for him.

 **SOMETIME LATER**

Feron met with Liara after a while and he explained to her about his involvement with the Shadow Broker and Cerberus. At first, she was furious, but she understood when he explained everything to her. Feron suggested her to talk with Aria T'Loak because if anyone could lead them to Shepard's body, it's her. Liara agreed.

After meeting with Aria, Liara and Feron knew where John's body is. They hurried to the location. Knowing John was nearby, Liara flared her biotics and attempted to attack the Shadow Broker's men but someone was already there and was causing havoc them.

"That's Tazzik! Shadow Broker's right hand man." Feron said indicating Liara to a salarian, who was trying to get away from the station.

Miranda had few scrapes and bruises after fighting all alone against the Shadow Broker's men. They are all well-equipped but still she managed to kill several. She won't stop until she get his body back. Nothing can stop her. She saw the salarian who seemed to be the leader was trying to escape in a shuttle.

 _Damn! Never! She won't let him get away with John! Never!_

She was planning to take rash actions but she didn't had to, as someone threw the salarian away from the shuttle by a biotic attack. Then she saw who helped her. Liara. She has come. Feron also helped and it didn't take long for the three of them to cut down the rest of the Shadow Broker's men.

Miranda quickly ran towards the shuttle. Liara and Feron followed. After Miranda entered the shuttle, she saw a glimpse of his prone form. She couldn't look, not without breaking down, right there. Liara walked over to the cryostasis machine and looked at him. It was indeed him. His condition was worse than she imagined. With tears in her eyes she looked away.

Suddenly a loud explosion caught their attention. More of Shadow Broker's men were coming at them and this time, their number was too great for the three of them. Before Liara and Miranda could decide what to do, Feron spoke, "I will try to hold them off until you two get Shepard to safety."

"But…." Liara hesitated.

"No buts…. You know this is the only way. If they get their hands on the shuttle, they will either destroy it or take his body back and there will be nothing that we can do." Feron said.

Liara nodded. "Thank you, Feron. I will never forget this. Here take my gun." Liara said after handing him her gun. They nodded at each other and then Feron walked towards the Shadow Broker's men. Liara saw him sadly.

"There is no alternative Doctor." Miranda said.

"I know." She whispered watching Feron trying to hold off the Broker's men. Miranda started the engine and they flew away immediately from there.

 **LATER AT THE CERBERUS BASE (LOCATION UNKNOWN)**

"What now?" Liara asked the Illusive Man.

"The Lazarus Project will commence from tomorrow. And we won't stop until he breathes on his own again." The Illusive Man said.

"I am still having doubts about your organization."

"I am assuring you Doctor, our only goal is to get Shepard back and nothing else."

Liara thought this might be a chance. Yes, it's slim, but hopeful. At least this is better than letting him go in the hand of the Collectors.

"Okay. Maybe I am trusting you. For now."

"And you won't regret it." The Illusive Man said.

"Then, I will leave after I see him once." Liara demanded.

"Certainly. My men will escort you." The Illusive Man agreed.

Liara nodded and followed his men. Once she was near the medical lab, the two men backed away. Liara guessed that they aren't permitted to enter this particular area. She heard the door close, after she entered the lab. Everything was quiet, except… she wasn't sure what it was, so she followed the source of the sound. As she proceed further, she realized it was the sound of someone crying…. Crying loudly. She looked around and she spotted the source of the sound. There was the cryostasis chamber where his body was and a woman was hugging it with both of her hands and crying her heart out. She was murmuring a name occasionally between her crying. It was his name and the woman was none other than Miranda Lawson.

 _She still loves him and her previous cold behavior was all an act. She was hurting and still she is._ Liara's heart broke, watching Miranda _._ Liara decided not to intrude and leave them alone. While leaving something caught her eyes. All the security cameras and microphones inside the lab was disabled. She could see it. They were clearly malfunctioning. Even though her heart was breaking, she couldn't help but let out a small smile and left the lab.

 _ **Note: This part is a little different from the cannon. I wanted Miranda to rescue John and this was also a reader's request. I tried my best, hope you guys like it. And as always don't forget to review….**_


	32. Waiting for you

It has been six months since the Commander's body has been recovered and brought back to Cerberus. For the Lazarus Project, the sole purpose of which was to bring the Commander back to live. It's an impossible achievement to accomplish – bringing a dead man back to life but Miranda Lawson never stopped, never swayed from her role of leading the Lazarus Project as it director. For the past six months she has worked relentlessly, not allowing anything to distract her from her mission.

 _Bring him back alive._ That's her only purpose, now. Nothing else matters. She isn't doing this for show-off or to make sure the Cerberus personnel came to know, what she is capable of. No. That's not her intention. She is doing it for herself. This is the matter of her life. When he died, she was completely devastated and was ready to die. But the safety of her sister stopped her. She had to make sure that her so called _father_ can never put his hand on her sister. She knew that he wants Oriana for the purpose of his wicked dynasty. He wanted to create a perfect daughter. He tried to dispose Miranda off when he learned about her….. Defect. That brought tears to Miranda's eyes. She can never…. Never become a….. She can never give John what he desired – a family. She cleared her head and tried to calm down. This isn't the time to think about those…. Unpleasant thoughts.

She is the director of the Project and her job is to oversee it. But when the scientists operated on him, she remained away from there. Only inspecting their job once they were finished. For the purpose of the Project she had to take extended education in genetics and neurology but she could never stand to see them cutting him or more worse. If that was another person lying on the table instead of him, she wouldn't had any problems or hesitancy. But this isn't any person, this is her John – for whom she cared most. Occasionally at night, when she is alone in her quarters she shed tears silently. She didn't even contacted her sister since the Lazarus Project began. She only alerted Oriana with a message saying that she won't be able to see her years. Oriana was sad, but she understood when Miranda explained that she will be working on an important Project. Of course, she didn't provide details to Oriana. It's safe for her without knowing.

Miranda's second in command was Wilson, a Cerberus scientist. She never liked him, and even protested when he got involved in the Lazarus Project. Since, he was under the Illusive Man's command, she couldn't do anything except keeping her eyes on him. Jacob was also there as security head. She trusts Jacob. He is a good man. They became friends when they worked together as partner, a few years back. From the moment, Miranda met him, she knew that he was attracted to her. Well, 99% of the male population is attracted to her. That's nothing new. She knew their desire. Their sole purpose is to get her in their bed. Even thinking about having an affair like that, makes her skin crawl. But Jacob isn't like those other men. He was genuinely interested in her, for a healthy relationship. He still is. She knew that. She had to push him away, _rather harshly_ , when he almost forced her to explain why she didn't wanted to have anything more than friendship with him. She could have gone into relationship with him but it would have never worked. She can never love anyone else except John. She can't. That boy from her childhood stole her heart away, even without her knowledge. Besides that, the thought of a man touching her or doing something more disgusted her, since that man isn't her John. If John wanted to do it, when they were together, she would have surrendered herself to him gladly. That thought made her cheeks flush red. But that wasn't his intention. He didn't cared for her because of her physical beauty, he loved her for who she is. That was true love

 **21 MONTHS LATER, SINCE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NORMANDY**

Miranda was taking a much needed rest after working constantly for more than two days. After she checked everything was okay, she retreated back to her quarters alerting Jacob. As soon as she fell on her bed, sleep overcame her because she was happy. Yesterday they had done the impossible. They made his heart start. He is still coma but she believes that he will wake up soon. Now, she was having a rather romantic dream in her sleep but it was disrupted when her omni-tool beeped. Immediately she became alerted. The security is very tight inside the facility but to give peace to her mind, she placed some security measures of her own. This was the matter of John's life and she wasn't ready to compromise anything at all. Now, the signal on her omni-tool is indicating an intruder in the D wing. She immediately informed Jacob and ordered him to report to her, once they find what's going on there. Wasting no time she went to the lab, to see John. Whoever the intruder is, he or she is after John. That she realized pretty quickly because there's nothing else that would draw someone else attention. She looked at his peaceful face, sleeping face and her lips curled slightly. She looked at the heart monitor and it displayed that everything was okay. Before she took her place on the tool to the right side of his operating table, she bent down and kissed his forehead lovingly.

"I am waiting for you, John. Open those blue eyes of yours and tell me that you love me." She whispered while wiping away the tears from her eyes. "I want to hear it from your mouth once again. Please don't give up on me."

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. It was Wilson.

"Wilson, what are you doing here, now?" Miranda asked suspiciously.

"I heard from Jacob, that there is an intruder inside the facility. So, I came here to check on Shepard." Wilson answered.

Miranda narrowed her eyes slightly. His answer didn't satisfy her. Wilson coming of his own accord to make sure that John is okay? That's pretty strange. Miranda became more suspicious than ever but she didn't say anything. Once Wilson left the lab, she opened a private channel and warned Jacob to keep his eyes on Wilson.

"You suspect that he is a traitor, Miranda?" Jacob asked through comm.

"For now, I won't tell anything because I don't know. Just do what I said." Miranda ordered.

"Okay." Jacob said and ended the connection.

Miranda let out a tired sigh and placed her head beside John's and fell asleep instantly.

 _ **Note: This is too short, I know, but I wanted to add this part as soon as it came to my mind. Let me know what you think. Next chapter, ME2 events will be starting.**_


	33. Reunion

**3 -4 MONTHS LATER….**

"Wilson is everything okay?" Miranda asked.

"It seems so…" Wilson said.

"Did you check your estimates, as I told you too?"

"Miranda, my estimates are okay. I know what I am doing." Wilson said irritated.

Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk with me in that tone, Wilson."

Wilson gulped in fear because he knew this woman is unpredictable. She can shoot his brains out any time. "Sorry." He apologized.

Miranda nodded. "We still need to do the last surgery before he wakes up."

"Aye." Wilson agreed and investigated the reports in his hand.

John was aware of someone talking near him but he couldn't recognize the voices. He wanted to open his eyes but they felt heavy like a tank and his body felt strange. His body parts were stiff and he slowly started to feel a tremendous amount of pain all over his body. He gasped and opened his eyes. Someone gasped in surprise. The first thing he saw was a woman. Raven hair, blue eyes, perfect skin. It's _her. Miri. His Miri._ He could recognize her anywhere. Even under the pain, his eyes widened and his heart rate started to beat rapidly inside his chest.

Miranda was engrossed in the data pad in her hand. Suddenly the alarms went off and she heard a loud gasping noise. She turned towards the operating table and her eyes widened.

John was awake.

"He's reacting outside stimuli. Showing an awareness of his surroundings. Oh my god, Miranda. I think he's waking up." Wilson said and saw that Shepard is looking at him with widened eyes.

"Damn it, Wilson! He's not ready yet. Give him the sedative!" Miranda yelled and rushed towards John. She saw him extending his hand towards her, trying to reach her, to touch her.

Wilson turned around to inject the sedative. He injected the sedative but it wasn't working.

"Heart rate still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts!" Wilson yelled in panic.

Wilson didn't saw something that Miranda saw. The sedative wasn't working because it wasn't even reaching his body. There was a faint biotic aura around his body and she could see that it was preventing the sedative to get inside his body. She needed to calm him down and she knew perfectly well how.

"Wilson get the antidotes and the sedative from the next room. Quickly." Miranda said desperately.

Wilson nodded and ran off to get the medications. As soon as he left Miranda wasted no time in taking John's hands in hers. She saw his eyes were searching his face trying to realize whether it's really her.

"It's me, John. I am here. Calm down. Don't try to move." She said trying to calm him down. But his eyes were asking for something more. She knew what he was trying to ask. "I am not going anywhere. Calm down." She pleaded, kissing his knuckles.

Miranda quickly pulled away from John but didn't let his hands go as Wilson entered.

"Heart rate is climbing down…. The sedative is working." Wilson said.

Miranda already knew that since she saw the biotic aura around his disappeared and the sedative entered his body. "Stats falling back into normal range. We almost lost him." Wilson let out a sigh of relief.

Miranda was beyond furious with Wilson. She tried to calm herself down desperately otherwise she will not be able to stop herself from killing Wilson. "Damn it, Wilson! I told you your estimates were off! Run the numbers again." Miranda ordered and looked at John. His eyes were closed again as he was in his unconsciousness state again.

 **FEW HOURS LATER**

John slowly regained his consciousness. He greeted his teeth as a wave of pain rushed over his body. He could hear yells of people, gunfire at his surroundings. For some time now he could hear someone was calling him in his comm. But he couldn't hear anything as his comm was malfunctioning. After few tries, he made it work.

"John! John! Can you hear me?" John heard a female voice in his comm.

"I can. Who are you?" John asked.

"I am your Mi….. I am Miranda Lawson. This facility is under attack. You need to get out from there." Miranda said in comm. "There's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!" She paused for a moment. "Looks like they set up a barricade to try holding the mechs off."

John moved forward after grabbing the pistol from the locker. He was unfamiliar with the mechanism of the weapon, so Miranda helped him out over the comm. Loading the clips he stepped forward once Miranda opened the door for him. As soon as he got out from the room he saw a mech walking towards him with a weapon in its hand. His military training kicked in. With a precise headshot he blew its head off. Following Miranda's instructions he reached the next room and got assaulted by eight mechs. When he took cover he felt something strange was pulsing inside his body. Out of instinct he waved his hands towards the mechs and as a result a blue biotic sphere appeared out of nowhere and trapped the mechs. They begin to float helplessly in the air. He could still feel the strange feeling inside his body. He again waved his hand a blue energy left his palm and went towards the sphere, and blasted it with such force that it destroyed all the mechs.

"Nice work, Commander. The coast is clear." John heard Miranda's voice in comm. "Don't waste any time. I can't keep the mechs distracted for long." She warned.

He reached an elevator but before he could take it down he grabbed a grenade launcher from the floor. "Shepard, three mechs are heading towards you." Miranda warned him again.

John looked down and indeed saw three mechs came out from a door. Wasting no time, he blasted them away with the grenade launcher. Next he took the elevator down and rushed forward. On his way he found some logs.

" _Progress is slow, but subject shows no signs of recovery. Major organs are again functional, and there are signs of rudimentary neurological activity. In an effort to accelerate the process, we've moved from simple organic reconstruction of the subject to bio-synthetic fusion. Initial results show promise."_ Miranda's voice was heard in the log.

" _The cost of the subject is astronomical…. Over four billion credits so far. But nobody seems to care that we've gone over the budget. I don't know where the boss gets all his money…. Maybe it's better not to know. I just wish he'd kick a little more in my direction once in a while."_ Said a man's voice.

"Shepard, there's no time to waste. Hurry!" Miranda's voice sounded in his comm. Next the communication was lost after he heard a gunfire and a sound explosion at Miranda's end. Next it was all static. John did as he was told. Proceeding further he helplessly observed through a glass, a large IMR mech was tearing apart the survivors. He put few bullets on the glass but it was impenetrable. Frustrated he moved forward and reached a door. He could hear sounds of firefight on the opposite side of the door. Unlocking the door, he found a man, who has taken cover behind the railing of the bridge and shooting at the mechs who were on the other side. John rushed and slide to the cover beside him.

The man looked surprised after seeing him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress." He asked.

"Are you with Miranda?" John questioned him instead of answering.

He got the hint. "Yeah…. Sorry. I forgot this is all new to you right now. I'm Jacob Taylor…. I've stationed here for….. Wait!" Jacob raised himself from cover and destroyed a mech which was shooting at them. He again slid behind cover and turned to John, "How did you get here?"

"Miranda, directed me here." John answered.

Jacob looked concerned. "Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around. I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first."

"It's your station, Jacob. I'll follow you." John said.

Before Jacob could answer more mechs arrived and started to shoot at them. Jacob looked towards John, "First things first. Let's finish off these metal bastards… We're low on thermal clips. But I'm a biotic. Just give me the order when you want to hit them with good stuff." John nodded in understanding. They both left the cover and started to pound lead on the mechs. With John's instruction, Jacob pulled two mechs into thin air with his biotics and John finished them off with two headshots. The rest of the mechs were also taken down quickly.

"Ready to get off this station?" Jacob questioned, holstering his pistol.

"Before we go anywhere, I need some answers." John said.

"Sure. What do you want to know?" Jacob asked.

"What's your job here?"

"Depends on who you ask. Technically I am Miranda's top lieutenant. But I'm just a soldier. I served five years in the Alliance before this. Now I'm in charge of the station's security." Jacob answered truthfully.

John carefully looked at Jacob for few seconds. His words seemed to be genuine. But he was curious about Miranda.

"When I first woke up, someone named Miranda was talking to me over the radio. We lost contact just before I ran into you and I think you just said that you are her top lieutenant. Who is she?" John asked.

"Miranda Lawson is the station's ranking officer. She led the Lazarus team. It was her job to bring you back to life, no matter what. Should've guessed she'd try to save you. She worked tirelessly for two years. She's not about to give up on you, now. You said…. You lost contact. Could you tell me what was happening?"

"There was a gunfire and an explosion right before I lost her." John answered.

Jacob looked concerned after hearing about Miranda. He looked concerned more than a lieutenant should be for his ranking officer. John deduced that there must be some kind of relationship between Jacob and her which goes past their working relationship. Strangely, he felt jealous. He didn't know why. Controlling his emotions he looked towards Jacob.

"She knows how to take care of herself, but I hope she is okay…." Jacob murmured.

"You said they spent two years rebuilding me. How bad were my injuries?" John asked.

"I'm no doctor, but it was bad. When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubes. Anywhere else they'd have put you in a coffin. But Project Lazarus was different. Cutting-edge technology."

"What do you mean? Cloning? Cybernatics?" John asked calmly but he was horrified inside. He was really dead and now who is he? A clone? Or something much worse than that?

"I don't know the details. You'd have to ask the scientists. But I'm pretty sure you are not a clone. They wanted to bring you back, exactly as you were. You're still you…. You just might have few extra bits and pieces now." Jacob said.

"What can you tell me about the Project? Were there other test subjects?"

"Project Lazarus had only one subject. The whole point was to bring you back. Just you." Jacob said.

John couldn't believe this. The whole purpose of this Project was just to bring him back to live? Spending billions of credits just for him?

In the meantime Jacob continued, "Even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists. The best technology money could buy."

John nodded in understanding. "Do you know anything about this attack? Who's behind it, what they're after?"

"Only if I knew. I was getting ready for some shut eye… then, bam. Bunch of explosions. Next thing I know, every damn mech in the place starts shooting…. At us. I'm guessing it had to be an inside job. You'd need top security access to hack all the mechs."

John let out a sigh and rubbed his face. He immediately grimaced in pain. Then he thought about the crews of the Normandy SR 1. The last thing he remembered was getting spaced and being suffocating and then….. nothing.

"The last thing I remember is the Normandy blowing up. Did anyone else make it?"

"Just about everybody survived. A few servicemen from the lower decks didn't get out. Navigator Pressly was killed by an explosion. But everybody else, including the non-Alliance crew – the asari, Liara, and the quarian….. they all made it out alive."

John released a sigh of relief. At least his friends are still alive.

"Do you know what any of them are doing now?"

"I don't know, Commander. It's been two years. They've moved on. Left the Alliance. Could be anywhere."

"They were my team. If they knew I was alive, they'd come back."

"Maybe you can track them down after we get off the station." He paused and added, "If we get off the station."

"What's the quickest way to the shuttles?"

"Depends where the mechs are thickest. It's probably best if we…" Jacob trailed off as his radio chattered.

" _Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there? Hello?"_ A familiar male voice was heard. John had heard this voice before. It is the same male voice, he heard in the update logs.

"Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. Just took out a wave of mechs over in D Wing." Jacob answered the radio call.

" _Shepard's alive? How the hell…. Never mind. You need to get him out of there. Get to the service tunnels and head for the network control room."_

"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency." Jacob said.

"Who's this Wilson?" John asked. He didn't liked the way Wilson asked about him. It sounded like Wilson was disappointed to hear that he is alive.

"He's the chief medical tech. Answers directly to Miranda. Come on, the service tunnels are this way." Jacob said while moving towards a door. John followed him.

 **SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER, AT OTHER SIDE OF THE STATION**

Miranda was both happy and tired. She was happy because he just woke up. He is alive. There can be no better news than this. At least to her. She was almost jumping in joy because he was alive and also at the success of her hard work for two years. She can't wait to talk to him, after he wakes up. But now she is beyond tired. She haven't slept for three days in a row. She was asleep as soon she hit the bed.

She didn't know how much time has passed when she woke up from a huge explosion. Alarmed, she went outside her room, only to get attacked by the mechs. She quickly took cover behind a large crate. She tried to understand why the mechs were shooting at her while searching for a weapon. Her eyes fell on a pistol which was lying a few feet away from her on the floor. She flared up her biotics and attacked the two mechs in front of her. They were shredded to pieces instantly. She quickly picked up the gun and tried to get to the lab. But the alarm in her omni-tool suggested that the lab is almost breached. There's no way she can reach there in time. So, she did the only thing she could. She tried to wake John up over the radio. She called him desperately but there was no answer. She almost gave up and considered to go to the lab but suddenly her radio came alive and she heard his voice. _His voice._ She couldn't explain her feelings when she heard his voice for the first time after two years. Pushing her emotions away at the back of her mind, she tried to guide him out of there. She maintained radio contact with him for continuously until a shot from gun destroyed the radio. She whirled around and her eyes widened. It was a IMR mech and those things are difficult to take down, especially with the weapon she has now. She was wondering how to get out alive, then her eyes fell on something. The mech was standing just beside two explosive crates. Giving it no opportunity she shot the crates. The explosion caused the mech's system to malfunction and it started to stagger. Seeing the opportunity, Miranda slipped past it quickly.

She hoped that he got out of there and possibly met Jacob. The two of them will be safe. But first, she needed to find out who is behind this massacre. She knew that it was only possible for someone with top security clearance to hack the mechs and she will find out who it was. Then… she will kill him or her, whoever it is. Watching her surroundings and making sure that she was safe for the moment she activated her omni-tool. She checked all the cameras in the station but they were disabled before the attack began. Frustrated, she started to check the hidden cameras she planted herself. Only she has the knowledge about them. She checked them one by one and suddenly she stopped and her eyes narrowed in anger. She spotted the traitor. _Bastard,_ she will kill him once she get her hands on him. The traitor tried to get her John killed and she can never forgive that. With fury in her eyes she went to find the traitor and once she get rid of the traitor she will find _him._ While moving she tapped some command on her omni-tools quickly.

 **CURRENT TIME**

John and Jacob reached near the control room. Their path wasn't easy. Every corner of the station was crawling with mechs. They were maintain radio contact with Wilson. He was guiding them to his location. But suddenly he begin to call for help, "Oh, God! They found me! Help!"

"Wilson? Where are you?" Jacob said.

"Server Room B! Hurry! They are out of control!" Wilson yelled desperately.

"Up those stairs, Commander!" Jacob said.

They both hurried up the stairs and they heard Wilson's voice again, "Oh, God! I'm hit! They shot me!"

When they reached the server room, John saw a bald man hiding behind cover while clutching a wound on his leg. There were two mechs. Before Jacob could react he shot them down in the blink of an eye.

"Jacob. Shepard. Down here." Wilson called them. "Bastards got me in the leg." He complained.

John saw a medigel on the wall. He took it and gave it to Wilson. That was enough for him to walk around.

"Thanks, Shepard. Never thought you'd save my life. Guess that makes us even now. I thought I could shut down the security mechs. But whoever did this fried the whole system. Completely irreversible." Wilson said.

"We didn't ask what you were doing. Why do you even have security mech clearance? You were in the bio wing." Jacob enquired.

"Weren't you listening? I came here to try and fix this. Besides, I was shot! How do you explain that?"

"You're all strangers to me. Let's get someplace safe, then we'll sort out whose fault it is." John suggested.

"Right, Shepard. We need to find Miranda. We can't leave her behind." Jacob said.

"Forget about Miranda. She was over in D wing. The mechs were all over that sector. There's no way she survived." Wilson protested.

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda. She's alive." Jacob argued.

"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard from her?" Wilson challenged Jacob. "There are only two possible explanations, she's either dead or she's the traitor." Wilson suggested.

 _Miranda is a traitor? No, she cannot be._ John thought. But something inside him woke up. It was like a beast. Hearing Wilson accusing Miranda, he begin to boil with fury. In the blink of an eye John was at the front of Wilson. He grabbed Wilson by his throat and raised him up by one hand. "SHE IS NOT A TRAITOR." John said through greeted teeth. Wilson only struggled in his iron grip.

Jacob's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he just saw. The Commander almost teleported. And he is angry because Wilson called Miranda a traitor? This is strange. He walked forward to calm down the Commander, but he didn't need to. Shepard let go of Wilson suddenly and stepped back from him.

"I… I am sorry. I don't know what just got over me." John apologized.

"It… It's okay." Wilson said while getting up from the floor.

Jacob intervened. He needed to tell the truth to the Commander. "Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?"

"The Lazarus Project, the program that rebuilt you… it's funded and controlled by Cerberus." Jacob revealed to John.

"Why did they tried to revive me?"

"I don't know, Commander. That answer is above my pay grade. The Alliance declared you dead. They gave up. Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back. Look I'd be suspicious too. But right now, we have to work together. I thought you deserved to know what's what. Once we are off the station, I'll take you to the Illusive Man. He'll explain everything, I promise." Jacob explained.

"Well, if I won't get any more answers here, let's get moving." John said. He started to trust Jacob a bit but Wilson didn't seem trustworthy. So he kept his eyes open.

After few minutes of moving and destroying several more mechs they were near the shuttle.

"Come on. Through here. We're almost at the…" Wilson called them while opening a door. But he stopped when the door opened and he came face to face with a woman. The woman's expression was gentle, but it immediately turned into anger once she spotted Wilson. Wasting no time, she shot him point blank in his head.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob said after running to Miranda.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all." She replied coldly.

"I had a feeling Wilson was just looking for a chance to shoot me in the back." John said. He saw the woman turn towards him. He carefully observed her. She has raven hair with a pair of beautiful blue eyes, pale face and her skin was flawless. And her figure was perfect. It was screaming for attention. She is beautiful. She looked like an angel. But there was a sudden air of coldness surrounding her. He saw her expression softened when she look him in his eyes.

"Good instinct." She praised him. "Some people are far too trusting to ever see that coming." She added looking at Jacob. She again turned towards John. "Come on, let's grab a shuttle and get out of here. My boss wants to speak with you."

"You mean the Illusive Man? I know you work for Cerberus." John asked.

At his revelation there was a strange expression on her face. She was looking…. Uncomfortable? John thought. But she schooled her expression pretty quickly and looked at Jacob, "Ah, Jacob. I should've known your conscience would get the better of you."

"Lying to the Commander isn't the way to get him join our cause." Jacob defended himself.

"Well, since we're getting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to ask before we go, Commander?" She asked.

"Where were you during the attack?" John asked her.

"Besides trying to save your life? Wilson figured out I was helping you, and he sent a couple of mechs to take me out. I got here as soon as I could. Probably a little too soon, if you ask Wilson."

"What about the rest of the people on the station?"

"This is the evac area. If they're not here now, they're not coming."

"Okay. So, where we are going now?"

"Another Cerberus facility. The Illusive Man is waiting for you there."

"Let's go."

 **FEW MINUTES LATER, INSIDE THE SHUTTLE**

Miranda was sitting opposite of John, beside Jacob. She was observing him carefully. There seems to be something different about him. When he saw her, there was no hint of recognition in his eyes. He should've recognized her since she haven't changed that much. But why didn't he? Or he didn't want to since he find out that she is working for Cerberus now. She saw he was looking outside the window, staring towards the dark space. He wasn't even looking at her. Is he disgusted? Did he hate her? Her heart broke at those thoughts. She cleared her mind and requested him to answer some questions about his past life to check his memory. He agreed. To her relief, he answered them correctly. She nodded while thinking whether to ask the question that was nagging her. Finally she decided to do it.

"Commander, could you please enlighten us about your childhood?" She asked.

"I don't know." He answered.

"What?" Miranda asked in panic.

"I said I can't remember anything." He snapped at her. "Sorry!" He apologized to her immediately. "There are also bits missing from my memory about some incidents during the hunt for Saren. I… I was trying to find some….." He stopped and looked away. "Sorry! But I don't trust you enough to reveal this particular information."

Miranda's heart broke at his revelation. He…. He can't even remember her? She couldn't just take it. This was unbearable to her. With her heart breaking she leant her head back against the shuttle wall and closed her eyes trying hard, not to cry.

 _ **Note: Tell me whether you liked this or not. And also let me know what you think.**_


	34. The Illusive Man

AT THE CERBERUS STATION

The shuttle landed in another Cerberus station. John observed it. It looked smaller than the previous one. Miranda was already gone but Jacob was there with him.

"The Illusive Man is here? This station isn't looking like it is heavily secured." John questioned Jacob.

"The Illusive Man wanted to talk to you as soon as possible. Maybe he is here. But I don't know for sure." Jacob answered.

He entered the facility with Jacob following him. There he found Miranda. She was typing in a computer when they entered. She looked up at the sound of the door opening. Their eyes met and maybe for a fraction of second, John felt a connection with her. He couldn't figure out why he was feeling like….. that he knew her, for a long time. She averted her eyes away from his and concentrated on the computer.

"The Illusive Man is waiting for you in the next room." She gestured the stairways to her left.

"That's it? Like that? Aren't you going to take away my weapons?" John asked.

"No." Came the curt reply.

 _They are going to let me met their boss without securing my weapons? Strange…. Maybe the Illusive Man really isn't here. He will talk through a terminal or something like that._ John thought. Descending the stairs he reached a small dark room with only a table and a small disk on the floor. He stepped on the disk and instantly an orange cylindrical light rose up from the disk towards his head. As soon as the light reached past his eyes, he no longer saw a small dark room instead he saw a very large dark room with tall shadows created by the star directly in front of him. There was a man sitting on a chair and smoking a cigar.

 _So, this is Miranda's boss, the head of Cerberus – The Illusive man._ John thought.

~/\~

As soon as John headed towards the room to talk with the Illusive Man, Jacob came to Miranda.

"Miranda, there's something I would like to talk about." Jacob said.

"What do you want to talk about, Jacob?" Miranda said while typing on the computer.

"It's about the Commander." He stated.

That caught Miranda's attention. "What about him?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Before we met you, Wilson accused you of being a traitor. Then…. You wouldn't believe what just happened next. I have never seen something like that ever in my life."

"Get to the point, Jacob." Miranda said.

"What? Oh! Yeah…. Yeah. Well, as soon as Wilson claimed you to be a traitor, the Commander's expression turned from calm to pure anger. With the blink of an eye he was in front of Wilson, choke holding him in a vice grip. He… kind of teleported. Can you believe it?" Jacob asked and looked at Miranda. To his surprise he didn't saw any surprised expression on Miranda's face. "Aren't you surprised about this, Miranda? Or you don't believe me?"

"I do believe you Jacob. And I am not surprised because I saw it with my own eyes." Miranda replied with a sigh.

"You saw it? When? Oh! I got it. But you never mentioned this before, even to the Illusive Man. Why?" Jacob asked.

"And I am requesting you Jacob not to mention this to anybody, at least for now. I have my reasons for not mentioning it."

"I understand, Miranda. I won't pry. But can you tell me how did he do that? There's no one who could have done it. Even the most powerful among the asaris can never do it."

"He is a biotic, Jacob. The most powerful one to ever exist. His abilities are unmatched."

"I didn't know that he had implants."

"He doesn't have any implants."

"Miranda, you know humans don't born with biotics. There's no way he….."

Miranda silenced Jacob by raising her hand. "He can Jacob, because he is unique. I don't know how he does it but he can do it without implants. And you won't believe how powerful his biotics are. I have seen him in action. I know."

"Whoa!" That was all Jacob could say.

~/\~

"Commander Shepard." The Illusive man greeted him.

"I thought we'd be meeting face to face." John said.

"A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what you and I know."

"What exactly is that 'you and I know'?"

"That our place in the universe is more fragile than we'd like to think. That one man, one very specific man, might be all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat of our brief existence."

"The Reapers."

"Good to see your memory's still intact. How are you feeling?"

"I noticed a few upgrades. I hope you didn't replace anything really important."

"We tried to keep you as intact as possible. We need Shepard, just as you were when you defeated Sovereign?"

"What are the Reapers doing that you decided to bring me back?"

The Illusive Man let out a sigh and stood up from his chair. He looked towards the star. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you." The Illusive Man paused and released a puff of smoke.

"Sovereign was trying to harvest all life in the galaxy. Why would the Reapers target a few human colonies?" John asked.

"Hundreds of thousands of colonies have vanished. I'd say that fits the definition of 'harvesting'. Nobody's paying attention because it's random and the attacks occur in remote locations. I don't know why they've suddenly targeted humanity. Maybe you got their attention when you killed one of them."

"If this is a threat against humanity, you need to mobilize the Alliance."

"They suffered substantial losses fighting Sovereign. They're rebuilding, still stretched too thin to waste resources verifying the Reaper threat. Blaming the abductions on mercs and pirates is easier and more convenient."

"Fighting a war doesn't seem like Cerberus. Why are you involved?"

"We are committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity. If the reapers are targeting us, trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them. If we wait for the politicians or the Alliance to act….. no more human colonies will be left."

"You could have trained an entire army for what you spent to bring me back." John stated.

"You're unique. Not just in ability or what you've experienced, but in what you represent. You stood for humanity at a key moment. You're more than a soldier…. You're a symbol. And I don't know if the reapers understand fear, but you killed one. They have to respect that."

"If what you say is true….. if the Reapers are behind this….. I'd consider helping you."

"I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself. I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you."

"I'll get what you're looking for and be back before you know it."

"Good to hear it. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonies? Do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. It's up to you to do the rest."

John stepped back from the disk on the ground and he was back in the small dark room again. He came back to Jacob and Miranda.

"I'm glad the Illusive Man convinced you to join us, Commander." Jacob greeted.

"I just want to find out what happened to those missing people. I still don't trust Cerberus." John replied honestly.

"Noted. Do you trust me, Commander?"

"You're a good man, Jacob. But you might be working for the wrong people."

"But I thought the same when I was with the Alliance. That's why I am here now."

"You said you served in the Alliance?"

"Five years in total. Stationed all over the galaxy. Even spent a couple of years as a Corsair."

"I've never heard of the Corsairs."

"It was an Alliance initiative. They hired independent starship captains and used them for missions that fell outside official Alliance jurisdiction. Technically, we weren't part of the Alliance. If we ever got caught, they could disavow any knowledge of us. We were supposed to be free from restrictions and rules, but there was still enough red tape to sink a cruiser. I finally just gave up."

"Why did you join Cerberus?"

"I guess I just got tired of never making a difference. So much of what we did in the Alliance seemed pointless. I thought things would change after the attack on the Citadel. Humanity was finally invited to join the Council. But nothing changed. Politics. Bureaucracy. Same bullshit, different leaders. Cerberus is different. When colonies go missing, we don't commission a team to write a report to figure out what the hell to do about it. We just go and find out." Jacob explained.

"What can you tell me about the colony we're going to?"

This time Miranda answered for Jacob. "Freedom's Progress? It's a typical human settlement in the Terminus Systems. They had a small military force for protections supplemented by mechs and security drones. Average in almost every way, really. Completely unremarkable…. Until the disappearance."

"Any thoughts on what we might run into there?"

"A lot of empty buildings and one giant mystery." She replied.

John nodded and stepped away from her. Every time he is near her or looked into her eyes he felt a strange connection with this woman. But why? He doesn't even know her. Could she be someone from his past? The past, about which he has no memory. She could be but then she should have told him something, greeted him in a friendly way. Often whenever he closes his eyes and concentrates hard on his lost memory, he saw a hazy picture of a girl inside his mind. He couldn't make out the girl's face in his mind but he is almost positive that this woman - Miranda looks like the girl he often saw in his mind.

"Let's move out and find out what's going on out there and who's behind these abductions." John said and followed Jacob to the shuttle.

Miranda watched him go with sadness in her eyes.

 _You are Miranda Lawson. You don't give up, ever._ Her inner self told her.

It is true. She is Miranda Lawson. She has done the impossible by bringing a dead man back to live and now, she can't just give up on him now, just because he has amnesia. It will hurt to stay near him and act as just a professional partner. But she will do it. She will stay with him in every step and help him in recovering his memory. She will remain strong, for him. With determination in her eyes she followed them to the shuttle.


	35. Freedom's Progress

Miranda and Jacob were sitting side by side on the shuttle observing the Commander. Since boarding the shuttle he haven't uttered a single word. He was unusually quiet. Miranda wondered, what is going on in his mind right now. His gaze was towards the stars, a look of confusion was evident on his face. Jacob slightly nudged her with his elbow to get her attention. She raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner. In reply, he gestured towards John.

Miranda decided to get John's attention. "We should be there shortly, Shepard. The Illusive Man has put us under your command. Do you have any orders?"

John finally looked at Miranda. "What did you find at the other colonies?"

"Nothing. No signs of attack, no corpses. Not even a trace of unusual genetic material to give us a clue. They just disappear and we've got no target to go after." Jacob replied.

John nodded in understanding. Then his eyes fell on Miranda. The two of them are officially under his command now. He saw that Jacob has no problem in following his orders or work together as a team but with Miranda, he didn't know. Her attitude is cold and he figured out from her behavior she is an independent person who likes to work alone. If she has problem in following his commands during the battle, all of them will get endangered. So he have to make sure. "Are you sure you'll be comfortable following my orders?"

"We didn't bring you back from the dead just to second – guess you, Commander. If the Illusive Man says you're in charge, you're in charge." Came Jacob's honest reply.

Miranda realized that John has asked the question to both of them, but it was meant for her. She couldn't blame him, anyone would be asking her who saw her cold mask. "As I said before Shepard, the Illusive man has put me under your command and I am ready to follow you wherever you lead us." _I am ready to follow you to hell._ She thought in her mind.

"What makes you think that this investigation will turn up anything new?" John asked looking at Jacob. Miranda is no fool. She could realize that John is avoiding her purposefully. _That hurts._

"At other colonies, official investigators got there first. Sometimes looters or salvage teams as well. We're hoping to be the first ones there this time. Maybe find clues before somebody else disturbs the scene." Jacob explained.

"Our first priority will be looking for survivors." John said.

"That's unlikely, Commander. No one was left at the other colonies. They were completely deserted." Miranda said.

"It will be nice to find somebody. Anything's better than another ghost town." Jacob added.

 **SOMETIME LATER**

The shuttle has dropped them at the colony few minutes ago and since then, they are looking for survivors or any clues. But there was nothing they could find. They found uneaten foods, radio still playing songs. But there was no sign of struggle or fighting.

"Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." Jacob said.

"Strange. No bodies. No structural damage. No signs of battle." Miranda murmured.

It was true what Miranda said. They have been searching for so long and they found nothing at all. They found a large door in front of them. Luckily it was unlocked. The door chimed open at Miranda's touch. There were mechs present behind the door. At the sight of them, the machines started to fire on them. Jacob and Miranda slid behind the low wall, while John stayed beside the door.

"Strange. Security systems were disabled at other colonies." Miranda said. She sent an overload blast at one of the mechs. It shuddered and blew apart at Miranda's attack. Jacob used his biotics to pull one mech towards him. John took it down with few shots from his pistol. To their right side a door opened and more mechs came out. Biotics and tech attacks combined with gun power was enough to take down the machines within a minute.

"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile. They should have recognized as humans." Jacob said.

"Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight. We're not alone here." Miranda concluded.

John nodded and realized that she was right. Someone is indeed here. Maybe this someone has some clues about the strange disappearance of the humans from the colonies. They halted in front of a door which will give them access to a room. They heard faint voices coming from inside.

"Survivors?" Jacob asked Miranda.

"Maybe. Maybe not." She replied.

"Miranda, can you open this door?" John asked.

She nodded. John and Jacob took cover at the sides of the door while Miranda worked on unlocking the door. Within a minute she unlocked it and the two of them walked in with their guns raised. There were several armed quarians inside the room. They also raised their guns at the two of them. Miranda stepped beside John and raised her SMG at the quarians.

"Stop right there!" One of the quarian soldier warned.

"Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this!" Came a familiar female voice from behind the quarian soldiers. "Wait…. John?" The female quarian asked in disbelief.

"Tali!? What are you doing here?" John asked, happy to see an old friend.

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!" Prazza denied to hear Tali's order.

"Put those weapons down!" Tali yelled angrily at Prazza. Then, she slowly turned towards John. "John? Is that…. You're alive?" Tali asked. She couldn't believe her eyes. The friend whom she thought to be dead for more than two years is standing alive, right in front of her, looking perfectly healthy.

"Cerberus rebuilt me, Tali. In return they asked me to investigate the attacks on human colonies." John said.

"You'll pardon us for not taking you at your word, Cerberus. Give me your guns or….." Prazza threatened them with his gun pointed directly at Miranda. But she was unfazed by his threat.

Tali was frustrated and angry with Prazza. She knew she had made a mistake by bringing him in this mission. She wanted to dissolve the situation but there was a lingering doubt in her mind also. _Is it really him? How can I be sure? I can't trust Cerberus but the Cerberus woman…. I swear I saw her somewhere. But where?_ She turned towards John for help and her eyes widened. He has stepped directly in front of Miranda and was looking at Prazza. His eyes were flashing with blue color from his biotics.

"Put your gun down." John said in a cold voice, lowering his own gun. Jacob saw it too and he was too shocked to say anything. Before the situation turns bad, Tali stepped in front of Prazza and whisked the gun away from his hand.

"I ordered you to stand down, Prazza!" Tali warned the quarian soldier. He bowed his head and stepped back. "This is definitely, Commander Shepard!"

Miranda just saw his reactions. _Even if he doesn't remember me, his protective instincts are still there._ She thought. She decided to calm the situation. "We're well within our rights to investigate attacks on human colony. I'd like to know what the quarians are doing here." She said in a calm manner.

"One of our people was here on Pilgrimage. His name was Veetor. We came to find him." Tali replied.

"Isn't that a little strange? A quarian visiting a remote human colony?" John asked.

"Quarians can choose where they go on pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always…. Nervous in crowds." Tali said.

"She means that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious." Prazza added.

"When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed mechs to attack anything that moved." Tali said.

"Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him." John made the suggestion.

"Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones, anyway." Tali said.

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza asked in disbelief.

"No, Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship." Tali warned Prazza and turned to John. "Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear your path."

"Make sure to keep in radio contact." John said.

"Will do. Good luck, John. Whatever happens….. it's good to have you back." Tali said looking at John. Her squad moved out but she lingered behind. At the end she couldn't take it anymore. She rushed towards John and hugged him tightly. John hugged her back. He felt extremely happy to see Tali again. Tali pulled away and before she left, she said in a teasing tone, "Don't die again, John. Or I will kill you this time."

John chuckled. "I will try."

Tali shook her head and left. During this time no one noticed Miranda clenched her fist in anger, even though her face remained impassive.

The three of them pushed ahead and as Tali predicted they were ambushed by several security drones. The drones had powerful rockets which was dangerous.

"Miranda, take their shields down!" John said. She nodded and with a few taps on her omni-tool she drained away the shield from one of the drones. John finished it off with rapid fire from his assault rifle.

"Damn! We need better guns!" Jacob complained. John threw his shotgun at Jacob to give him more fire power.

"Keep firing." John said. With great difficulty they were able to destroy the remaining drones.

"These weapons are useless. We need better." Miranda also complained.

"Yeah! But for now, we don't have a choice." John said.

Suddenly his radio came alive and they heard Tali's voice, " _John! Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead. I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!"_

"We should have expected this." Miranda murmured.

"Come on! We can still catch them." Jacob said.

They rushed towards the warehouse and more drones appeared when they reached there. They heard Tali's voice in the radio while fighting the drones. " _Hurry, John! We're inside the loading docks. Veetor has reprogrammed a heavy mech! It's tearing Prazza's squad apart!"_

"Those idiots!" Jacob said.

"They did want to get to Veetor first." Miranda said and took down one drone with overload.

" _Get your squad into cover and I'll open the loading bay doors."_ Tali said.

"We'll take cover by the doors. Shepard, you take point." Miranda said when all the drones were destroyed.

They took cover and John informed Tali that they were ready. She opened the door for them and saw several dead bodies of the Prazza's squad lying on the ground. The heavy mech was busy firing at the remaining quarians.

"The mech's got heavy armor plating. Those quarians never stood a chance." Jacob said.

"This is going to be one tough son of a bitch to take down." Miranda warned.

John saw the mech has pinned down several of the quraian soldiers. He fired at the mech trying to distract it and it worked. The mech turned its attention on the three of them leaving the quarians alone. Bullets, biotics and tech attacks flew towards the mech but they weren't enough to take it down.

"That thing has heavy shield." Miranda said.

"Can you take it down?" John asked.

"I can. But it won't be easy." Miranda replied.

"Do what you can." John said. "Jacob and I will try to distract it for you."

According to the plan John and Jacob tried to flank it without exposing themselves. The trick worked. The mech turned its attention away from Miranda. The mech fired its machine gun on John pinning him behind cover. John knew that the cover won't hold for long under the attack of the heavy machine gun. So, he decided to switch cover and signaled Jacob to distract it. Jacob grabbed its attention by firing a shot from his shotgun. John saw the opportunity and tried to jump to the next cover. But when he came out from the cover and was about to ran towards the next cover, his body suddenly jerked in pain. He fell to the ground with a groan. He felt as if his body is on fire. He could hear Jacob and Miranda yelling at him but his body was unresponsive from the pain.

Miranda saw John suddenly fell on the ground exposing himself to the mech. "Jacob get its attention. It must not see Shepard." She yelled and started to walk towards John.

"Miranda! Don't!" Jacob warned which she ignored. Unfortunately the mech saw her and fired a rocket. Luckily it missed her as the rocket impacted on the ground a few feet from her but the force of the blast threw her away and crush against the container with a sickening thud.

"Miranda!" Jacob yelled in panic. But Miranda was dizzy from the impact and she couldn't lift herself from the ground. Jacob fired on the mech to get its attention but it didn't turn its attention away from Miranda.

John heard Jacob yelling Miranda's name. He opened his eyes in slits while trying to minimize the pain. What he saw made his body shiver. The mech was almost near Miranda and she was sitting on the floor with her eyes closed. Something snapped inside him. He felt the pain disappear and could see his hands started to glow with biotics. He felt in his heart that he must save this woman at all cost. Nothing else matters except her.

With the blink of an eye he was standing in front of the mech, with his whole body glowing with biotics. Jacob's jaw dropped. Seeing a target so close the mech swung one of its hands at him, aiming to crush him with one blow. He easily blocked the mech's blow with his hand. He grabbed its hand and tear it apart from the mech's body easily. John hit the mech with its own arm. The mech staggered back from the blow. It raised the machine gun in its left hand to destroy its enemy. John didn't give his enemy any chance. He jumped on its shoulder and with a mighty blow his hand went through the mech's head. Sparks flew and the mech fell on the ground after stumbling for a few seconds. Slowly its power died and it became still on the ground.

Jacob was still fixed on his spot with his mouth wide open. What he saw was unimaginable. He looked at the Commander again. Shepard easily picked up Miranda's unconscious form in his arms gently. When he looked his eyes were normal again. Jacob walked towards the quarians who were hiding from the mech and John followed. He lay Miranda beside the other injured quarians gently.

"Tali, look after her." He said in a grave voice. Tali nodded and began to check on Miranda. Leaving her there, he and Jacob entered the room where Veetor is. After entering they saw a quarian sitting on a chair with his back turned away from them in front of several screens. The screens were playing several video footages and the quarian was mumbling something to himself, "Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No—no-no-no-no."

"Veetor?" John called.

"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide." Veetor said.

"Nobody's going to hurt you anymore." John said in a gentle tone. But John got no response.

"I don't think he can hear you, Commander." Jacob said.

Suddenly the screens in front of him turned off, all at once. That got his attention. John heard footsteps beside him. Miranda came inside while tapping on her omni-tool. "That will get his attention." Miranda said.

Veetor stood up on his chair and turned to them. "You're human. Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked.

"The…. The monsters. The swarms. They took everyone." Veetor said.

"Why didn't the colonists fight back, Veetor? What happened?" John asked.

"You don't know. You didn't see. But I see everything." Veetor said and activated the screens where a video started to play.

The three of them came near the screens and watched carefully. "Looks like security footage. He must've pieced it together manually." Miranda said.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob got the others attention. The two of them looked where Jacob was looking. On the footage a creature was visible. It was pushing some kind of life pod away.

"My god. I think it's a collector." Miranda said.

"Is that some kind of alien?" John asked.

"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega 4 relay. Only a few people have ever seen one in person." Jacob said.

"They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies." Miranda explained.

"The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once." Jacob said.

"The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away." Veetor answered.

"Wait! Miranda rewind the video." John said when he saw something on the screen. Miranda did as he said. "Stop right there. Zoom it!" John said. "There! See it?"

"What is that?" Jacob said.

"It looks like some kind of insect. Except it's mechanical." Miranda said looking carefully.

"These things are the seekers." Veetor revealed.

John turned to him. "Why didn't the Collectors take you?"

"Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here." Veetor said.

"The Collectors aren't known for being careless. Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors." Jacob said.

"Or they were using technology specifically designed to detect humans. Only human colonies have been hit." Miranda guessed.

"Tell me more about these swarms." John asked Veetor.

"It's how they find you. Seeker clouds. Machines like tiny insects. They go everywhere. They find you. Then they sting you. Freeze you." Veetor explained.

"Sounds like miniature probes, maybe. Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin." Miranda said.

"What happened next?" John asked Veetor.

"The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me. No one escapes!" Veetor said.

"I think that's probably all we're getting out of him, Commander." Jacob said.

"We appreciate what you told us. You were very helpful." John thanked Veetor.

"I studied them. The monsters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy." Veetor revealed.

Miranda turned to John. "We need to get this data to the Illusive Man. Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."

At that time, the door behind them opened and Tali came in. "What? Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!" Tali protested.

"We won't hurt him. We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed." Jacob said.

"Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need." Miranda added.

"Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, but please. Just let me take him."

"You don't have to take Veetor and go. We could work together. Just like old times." John said.

"I want to, but I can't. I've got a mission of my own. It's too important for me to abandon, even for you. When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens." Tali said.

"That sounds dangerous. What are you doing?" John asked.

"I don't think Cerberus needs to hear about it. But it's in geth space. That should tell you how important it is." Tali said glaring at the two Cerberus operatives.

John turned to Miranda. "He's traumatized and he needs medical care. Tali will give us the omni-tool data and take him to the Flotilla.

"Understood, Commander." Miranda said.

"Thank you, John. I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders. Good luck out there. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know." Tali said and left with Veetor.

 **BACK AT THE CERBERUS STATION**

On their way back to the Cerberus station, Miranda noticed the scars on John's face has disappeared completely. She wondered how it happened. She suspects something but to be sure she needs to do a test.

When they reached the station, John came to her. "I appreciate what you did for me, Miranda. If it wasn't for you I would have been dead, again."

Miranda unintentionally blushed at his appreciation. "From what I heard I think we saved each other, Commander." She replied calmly trying to hide her blush that was creeping up her neck. "But I would like to run a medical test on you, Commander."

"Sure. Tell me what to do." John said.

"Follow me." Miranda said. They came inside a medical lab and Miranda requested him to lie down on the bed. He did as she said.

Miranda started scanning his body from head to toe. Seeing the scan results, she was dumbstruck. _How is this possible?_ She thought. She tried to think of any possible theories but couldn't think of any. She checked the scan results again. There was no trace of cybernetics parts in his body which they used to revive him. They just disappeared from his body and even without them he looks perfectly healthy. The scan result shows it…..


	36. A new beginning

"Shepard. Good work on Freedom's Progress." The Illusive Man greeted. "The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."

"The data from his omni-tool should be quite useful." John said.

"We're still analyzing it. But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions." The Illusive Man responded.

"You are saying 'confirmed'. Why I get the feeling that you already knew about them?"

"I had my suspicions. But I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange of their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived, back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors."

"Why is the Omega 4 relay unmapped? What do we know about it?"

"Only that no ship passing through it has ever returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage. If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of the connection with the Reapers."

"Any ideas on why they've shifted their focus to humans?"

"If they're agents for the Reapers, it could be any number of reasons. Obviously, humanity played a huge role in Sovereign's destruction. That might have been enough to draw their attention. What really concerns me is why they bother abducting the colonists. Once the humans are paralyzed, why not just kill them?"

"What are the Collectors getting from these deals?"

"The Collectors aren't very forthcoming about their motives. Generally, they seek out species with rare genetic mutations or abnormalities. They pay slavers and merc groups exorbitant sums to obtain these specimens. And then they leave. But they've never targeted a single species before. And the previous sample sizes were in the dozens, not the tens of thousands."

"The Collectors are definitely a human enemy, but how do we know there's a connection to the Reapers?"

"Their focus shifted to humanity only after you and the human fleet destroyed Sovereign. The abductions are related, even if the Alliance and the Council refuse to believe it. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."

"I hate waiting, but I'll need a team. A good one." John said.

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

"Keep your list. I want people I trust – the ones who helped me stop Saren and the geth." John protested.

"That was two years ago, Commander. Most of them have moved on… or their allegiances have changed." The Illusive Man revealed.

"Where's Ashley Williams?" John asked.

"She's still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe. Her file is surprisingly well-classified. Same goes for Lieutenant Alenko."

"Where's Urdnot Wrex?"

"He returned to Tuchanka and hasn't gone off-world in over a year. He's trying to unite the krogan clans."

"What about Tali? She already helped us on Freedom's progress."

"That was unexpected. I need more intel before I'll commit to that."

"Liara TSoni?"

"She's on Illium. My sources say that she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted."

"What about Garrus?"

"The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate him."

"You heard any whereabouts of Alicia?"

"No. After her mysterious disappearance from the Citadel she couldn't be found."

"Okay. I get it. They are unavailable."

"You're a leader Shepard. You'll get who you need."

"You worry about the Collectors, I'll make sure my team's ready."

"Good. Two things before you go: First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collector's paralyzing seeker swarms."

"Sounds good. And what else?"

"I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."

John nodded and the connection with the Illusive Man was terminated. He was back in the small dark room. A figure came limping towards him from behind.

"Hey, Commander! Just like old times, huh?" Joker said.

John turned around and a smile formed on his face seeing his favorite henchman. "Joker!" He said.

 **MEANWHILE AT THE MEDICAL LAB**

Miranda was still examining the scan results on the monitor when Jacob got there. He saw that she looked somewhat concerned.

"Miranda, what's going on?" Jacob asked.

Miranda turned around hearing his voice. "Ah, Jacob. You are here. You did a fine job out there." She praised.

"It wasn't me, Miranda. It was him." Jacob answered honestly.

"What?! But he was…"

"I know. But when you got knocked out and the mech was about to kill you, his body started to glow with biotics and he attacked the mech without any weapons. Miranda, you wouldn't believe me but I saw him tearing the mech's hand away from its body with his bare hand and then crushing its head with a single punch. No one can be that strong. It was unreal." Jacob explained.

Miranda listened to him and she found more hope. "Actually, I believe you, Jacob. I told you that I saw that before, during the battle with Saren."

"You knew this also? Damn! Miranda, who is he? He is not an ordinary human." Jacob asked.

"You are right, Jacob. He is someone special." Miranda said, her tone was filled with admiration and respect for John. But there was also something more, love. For him. Only for him.

Jacob looked at Miranda. Was that admiration he heard in her voice or it was something more? He didn't press her further and decided to change the topic.

"So, what are you concerned about?"

"Concerned. Not really. Surprised would be the right word."

"Surprised? About what?"

"I was thinking about why he felt so much pain during the battle, so I decided to do a body scan. And you know what I found?"

Jacob shrugged letting her know that he has no idea.

"We used cybernetics to build his body, Jacob. But the body scan can't detect any cybernetics inside his body, now. There's no trace of cybernetics."

"How is that possible? How can they disappear? Did you check the machine, maybe it's malfunctioning?"

"It is perfectly fine, Jacob."

Jacob rubbed his head in confusion. "Gosh! What the hell is going on?"

 **AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATION**

"I can't believe it's you, Joker." John said happily.

"Look who's talking. I saw you get spaced." Joker teased.

"Got lucky, with a lot of strings attached. How'd you get here?"

"It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone." Joker said shaking his head.

"I should have known…." John murmured. Joker continued, "Team was broken up, records sealed and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."

"You really trust the Illusive Man?"

"I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly….." Joker trailed off as his gaze fell on the window. There was a vessel outside the glass window. Its metals were shining by the lights that fell on it. The brand new Normandy SR-2 was there, waiting for them. "And there's this." Joker said, his eyes were shining with excitement.

"This looks better than the SR-1." John said.

"Yeah. They only told me last night." Joker said. "It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"

John smiled and nodded at him.

 **SOMETIME LATER**

John stepped inside the new Normandy with Jacob and Miranda at his toes.

"Welcome aboard the new Normandy, Commander." Jacob said.

John looked around after he stepped into the CIC. His eyes lit up with admiration. _Cerberus really did a great job._ He admitted.

"Full crew complement?" John asked after stopping at the command section.

"Yes, Commander. They're at their stations awaiting your orders." Miranda answered.

He looked up at the holographic display of the Normandy in front of him and checked the status of the ship and the various systems. All were indicating that the Normandy is functioning and ready. Miranda's voice broke his thoughts. "I've been looking over the dossiers. I'd strongly recommend starting by acquiring Mordin Solus, the salarian professor on Omega." Miranda said. "We know the Collectors use some type of advanced technology to immobilize their victims. We'll need to develop a countermeasure to protect ourselves."

"Yes, without that countermeasure, we'll be helpless if we ever run into the Collectors." John agreed with her.

"Acquiring Professor Solus seems like the most logical place to start." A feminine voice chimed in.

"Who are you?" John asked, staring at the ship's intercom. He wasn't prepared for anything like this.

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew likes to refer me as EDI." The holographic projection introduced itself.

"Having an AI in charge of the Normandy systems should give us an advantage." John said.

"Actually, I am not in control of the ship, Commander. Due to the potential dangers of a rogue AI, Cerberus has severely restricted my capabilities. During combat, I operate the electronic warfare and cyberwarfare suits. Beyond that, I cannot interface with the ship's systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. Nothing more." EDI explained.

" _Final preparations for takeoff are complete, Commander. When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot a course._ " Joker's voice sounded through comm.

Nodding in satisfaction John turned towards Jacob and Miranda. "Besides being part of my team, what are your positions on the Normandy?"

"I'll be your executive Officer of the Normandy. I'll manage the day to day operations, such as logistics and maintenance." Miranda answered. John couldn't help but agree that someone as professional as Miranda can do a lot as an Executive Officer but he has a nagging feeling that she also has other duties. "And what are your other duties, aside from keeping an eye on me?"

Miranda knew he will see through it and he didn't disappoint her. With a hint of smile on her lips she answered, "I'm the Illusive Man's agent. You're his most important asset." _And my life._ She didn't utter the latter part. "My job is to make sure you succeed. Aside from that I send regular reports to the Illusive Man, updating our status."

Hearing her words a boyish grin appeared on his face. Miranda raised her eyebrows questioningly, "Did I say something funny, Commander?" She asked.

"No. It's that I always hated paperworks." He replied shrugging his shoulders.

 _Don't I know that? You lazy man._ Miranda looked away to hide her grin because she must maintain her Ice Queen persona in front of the crew and damn him, he is making it utterly difficult.

Jacob chuckled. John turned his gaze on Jacob becoming serious once again. "What about you, Jacob?"

"I'm the Armory Chief. I'll be in charge of maintaining or upgrading all the weapons, armor, and any new weapons tech we get our hands on." Jacob informed.

"Jacob and I should return to our posts. Come find us if you have any questions." With that Miranda left. Jacob followed her after saluting John.

As soon as John was left alone a young woman approached him. She was really pretty with short-cut red hair and green eyes. She saluted him with a smile. "I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I've been assigned as your administrative assistant." She introduced herself. "I'll manage your messages, and help you monitor the crew." She stopped looking over John from head to toe. "And I must say, it's such an honor to work under you, Commander Shepard." She flirted which gone unnoticed by John as usual.

"I'm glad to have you on the team, Ms. Chambers." John replied with a small smile.

"Please, call me Kelly." She requested with a flirtatious smile.

"Okay, Kelly. Do you have a moment to talk?" John asked.

"I always have time for you, Commander." She replied with a smile and her cheeks turned red.

"What are your responsibilities?" John asked.

"I'll keep you notified of any messages or appointments you might have. If any of the crew has important business to discuss, I'll make sure you know." She explained.

"Isn't that the type of task better suited for a VI?" John asked curiously.

"Yes, but being your yeoman is just my official role. Unofficially, I observe the crew. Everyone knows how risky our mission is. Many of us may not be coming back. That's a lot of pressure. I have a degree in psychology. I'm good at sensing when people are overly taxed."

"This organization has a dark reputation. Do you have any concerns for them?"

"Not at all. Our methods can be harsh, but Cerberus has noble objectives."

 _Really? That remains to be seen._ John thought. In the meantime Kelly continued, "We look out for human interests. Advance human technologies. Save human lives. They're good goals."

"It sounds like Cerberus wants to dominate all aliens and put humankind on top?" John pressed.

"Cerberus looks out for humanity, but that doesn't mean we hate aliens. My sister started a dog shelter, but she loved cats too. I love humanity. I also love asari, quarian, turian, salarian, hanar….. that isn't conflict with Cerberus ideals."

"How do you feel about being assigned to the Normandy?"

"I was handpicked by the Illusive Man to help fight the greatest threat known to humanity. How do I feel? Honored, exhilarated, terrified. But mostly I feel encouraged. Under your leadership, we can't fail." She said.

"We will try our best."

She smiled and nodded. "I trust you implicitly. The moment I met you, I knew I could close my eyes, fall back, and you'd be there." She flirted heavily.

"I won't disappoint my crew, Kelly."

"I knew it would be. Thank you, Shepard." She replied.

"Is there anything I should know?" John asked.

"Joker would like to speak you on the bridge. Anything else, Commander?"

"That will be all, Kelly." John dismissed.

She was about to turn back towards her terminal but stopped at John's voice. "We're lucky to have someone like you onboard the Normandy, Kelly."

She smiled back and nodded.

Unknown to them, someone has watched the whole exchange from her office. Miranda gritted her teeth in anger watching Kelly flirting with John. She was angry at both of them. Why did he told her that they were lucky to have Kelly? He just encouraged Kelly's advances. She crushed the bottle of soda in her grip.

If Kelly tries to get into his cabin, Miranda will make sure that she is stopped and she will do it herself. At that moment someone knocked on her door from outside breaking her thoughts.

"Come in." She said.

It was Jacob who entered her cabin with an unreadable expression on her face. "What do you need Jacob?" She asked.

"We need to talk, Miranda." Jacob said folding his hand over his chest.

"About what?" She wondered what was so important that made Jacob come to her cabin.

"It's about Shepard."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"There's something you are not telling me, Miranda."

"I don't think I need to tell you everything." She snapped angrily.

"To me? No. But to the Illusive Man? Yes. You didn't inform the boss about the Commander's strange abilities and you requested me to hide it as well. I know that I am loyal to whoever I work for but are you?" Jacob shot back.

Miranda's eyes suddenly filled with anger. She shot up on her feet and banged her fist on her table. "That's enough! You have no right to question my loyalty towards Cerberus, Jacob. And how dare you? After all we have been through you are suggesting that I'm a traitor?"

"That's not what I meant, Miranda. But the boss must know about this. Don't you think?"

"No." Came the curt reply.

Miranda's answer surprised Jacob. For all these years since she met her he knew that she idolized the Illusive Man. There was nothing she didn't reported to the Illusive Man, except some private matters. Then is this a private matter?

"Why?" Jacob asked.

"Because this is between me and John!" She shot back.

Jacob's eyes widened. _John? Did she just call the Commander by his first name? Yes. She did and in an intimate manner. It was like she knew him for years._

"John? When did you start calling the Commander by his first name?" Jacob questioned.

"I….I…." Miranda couldn't say anything.

Jacob suspected this. Now she confirmed it. But he still needed to ask her.

"Do you love him, Miranda?" Jacob asked calmly.

Miranda's head was bowed down but at Jacob's question her head snapped up towards Jacob. "What?"

"You heard me. Do you love him?" He asked again.

Miranda looked away not answering Jacob. But Jacob wasn't about to let go this time. He needed answers.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me the truth, Miranda and I think I deserve that, at least." Jacob said.

Miranda sighed. She knew that Jacob was right. He is a good man and a good friend. He deserves to know the truth. She tapped on her omni-tool and secured her room by locking the door.

"Yes. I love him." She acknowledged.

"Then…" Jacob was about to say something but Miranda raised her hand, preventing him from speaking. "Let me finish, Jacob."

"All right." He nodded once.

"I love him. I have loved him for a very long time, Jacob. For twenty damn years!"

"Twenty years? What are you saying, Miranda?"

"You know about my father, Jacob." Miranda said at which Jacob nodded. "He is a monster. I was tortured from my childhood days. When I was ten, I had enough. I fled to Mindoir and there I met John. He saved me from two vile boys. Since then we stayed together in his home. He had become my best friend, my only friend. He was gentle. Kind. Caring. Always stood by my side. He was everything I needed. But as the years passed and I grew older I realized my feelings for him has changed. It has become something more than friendship. Another year passed and at that time I was madly in love with him. To my surprise he returned the same feelings. Things couldn't get any better but one day the slavers raided the colony. To save me, he sacrificed himself and the slavers took him away. That was the last time I saw him until I met him in Normandy SR-1. But I didn't know it was him. At Virmire, Saren almost killed me and then he used his biotic powers and I recognized him instantly." Miranda stopped and reached for the glass of water on her table.

"One thing I didn't understand. How did you know it was him when he transformed?"

"He really doesn't transform, Jacob. He still remains the same but his powers becomes unlimited."

"Yeah, that."

"When he first saved me from those boys all those years ago he used his biotic powers on them. So I knew it was him when I saw him like that on Virmire." Miranda said.

"So all this time you have been rejecting advances of men because of him?" Jacob asked in amazement.

"Yeah. It's because he stole my heart a long time ago and it will never change, Jacob. I am sorry. I should have told you sooner." Miranda replied sadly.

"It's alright, Miranda. I understand. But why didn't he recognize you? I doubt that you look much different since you were fifteen."

"He has amnesia, Jacob. He has no memory of our time together." Miranda said while trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Oh! I see. Thank you for telling me, Miranda. I should get back to my post now." He said and started towards the door.

"Wait!" Miranda stopped him. "I hope the friendship between us does not dissolve because of this because I value your friendship, Jacob."

"Everything will be okay, Miranda. I just need some time to process this. That's all." He smiled and left the cabin. Miranda went to her bed and lied down on her back staring at the ceiling. She was happy that Jacob understood her and it felt good to make this closure which has been hanging for a long time. Suddenly, she remembered she has one important work to do. With her hacking skills she quickly bypassed the Alliance security and went into their server. She began to search for two particular names and after a minute she found them: Admiral Hannah Shepard and Councilor David Anderson.

 **AT THE COCKPIT**

"Can you believe this, Commander? It's my baby, better than new! It fits me like a glove!" Joker said to John after turning his chair 180⁰ around. His face was shining with sheer joy. "And leather seats! Military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate they could care less if the seats breathe. Civilian sector comfort by design."

At that moment EDI appeared. "The reproduction is not intended to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made."

"And there's the downside. I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quite. Now she's got this thing I don't want to talk about. It's like ship cancer." Joker deadpanned.

John chuckled, "Enjoy it, Joker. If we're stuck here, we might as well let them pamper us."

"Ah, does it breach uniform regs if I get that on a crew shirt? Because this is my favorite 'You have no choice!' choice ever." Joker said.

"Technically this is a civilian ship. I'm probably lucky you're still wearing pants." John shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'll save that for the off-hour cameras. Have an AI watch me 24/7? Jerks." Joker cursed.

"I'll leave you to it, Joker." John smirked and left him there hearing him cursing. He took the elevator to Deck 4. There was two people in the engineering room, a man and a woman. When he stepped near them they turned around to face him. Their eyes widened in surprise seeing the Commander in front of them.

"You came all the way down here to see us?" The woman said in amazement.

"I'm touring the ship, getting to know my crew." John said.

"I'm Engineer Ken Donnelly, handling the power control systems." Daniels introduced himself. "This is Gabby. That's Engineer Gabriella Daniels, actually. I'm responsible for the propulsion systems." He said indicating towards Gabby and paused. "What can we do for you, Commander?"

"How did you wind up with Cerberus, Ken?" John asked.

"Once you were gone, the Alliance brass descended like vultures, tearing apart everything you'd said. I was very public with my defense for you. I didn't hold back."

"That's an understatement. If Kenneth wasn't such a talented engineer, they'd have court marshaled him for insubordination." Daniels interrupted.

"But it got me noticed by the Illusive Man. He made an offer, and here I am." Donnelly said.

"So why did you join, Gabby?" John asked.

"Kenneth and I have been partners in crime since we graduated from tech academy. When we got the Cerberus offer, I insisted that it include me. He'd fall apart without me."

"Thanks, mum." Donnelly deadpanned.

"Also I love engines, and the Normandy in state-of-the-art. When I got the opportunity to work on her, I had to jump."

"What do you think about Cerberus?"

"Actually we don't know much about the organization other than the Normandy team. We know our mission and who's in charge."

"We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy bags. That's enough for me."

"Are you set up okay down here?"

"We can't complain. I just wish it didn't take so long to calibrate the FBA arrays….."

"Kenneth, you're complaining."

"What kind of problems are you having?"

"When they upgraded the Normandy design, they got a bit sloppy with the FBA couplings. I won't bore you with the tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed….."

"Kenneth, you're boring the Commander with tech." Daniels interrupted. She looked towards John, "In short, if we had T6-FBA couplings installed, it'd save us a lot of maintenance time each day."

"Why isn't something like that already installed?" John asked.

"It's probably just a design oversight. Efficiency isn't affected. It's a maintenance issue." Daniels said.

"Also, the T6 model can be hard to find. Nashan Stellar Dynamics discontinued them." Donnelly added.

"We could probably find used ones in the Omega markets. But we have no time for shore leave." Daniels said.

"I'll look for it on Omega." John said and left them there.

"I'm amazed Shepard came down to see us." Donnelly said.

"I told you he would." Daniels said. "And he…. He is more handsome than I imagined." She blushed.

"I don't wanna hear that." Donnelly said with a scowl on his face.

Daniels smirked. "Jealous?"

"Shut up!"

 **AT DECK 3**

John exited the elevator on Deck 3. He looked around. There were crew members mingling among themselves. To the left there was a cabin, which he realized was Miranda's and to his right was a med-bay. When his eyes fell on the glass window of the med-bay his eyes widened.

 _It can't be._

He entered the med-bay quickly. He could feel the eyes of the crew on him but he ignored them.

"Dr. Chakwas?! What are you doing here?" John said.

"John! I watched the Normandy crumble with you on board. Come here." Dr. Chakwas said getting up from his chair. He came near her with a smile. She embraced him tightly.

"It's nice to see a familiar face." John said.

"I feel the same. I wish more of the original crew could be here. The kind of trauma you endured would've changed most people, but not you, I see. Welcome back, son."

He smiled. "Why Cerberus, Doctor?"

"I don't work for Cerberus, I work for you….. on a mission that may be crucial to the survival of the human race. I have faith that your dealings with Cerberus will be ethical. I trust you, John." Dr. Chakwas said.

"How's my mom, Doctor?" John said.

"She…. Is coping. She didn't took your death well. You should contact her as soon as possible."

John nodded. "I will. Anything you need, Doctor?"

"I believe so. This medical bay seems very much like the sick bay on the original Normandy. Only thing missing are my private reserves. I even had a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy that I was saving for a special occasion."

"I'll keep an eye out for a replacement bottle."

"Oh, you needn't. It's expensive and…"

"This is the least I can do, Doctor. If your own son wanted to give you one, would you have rejected him too?" John asked pouting.

Dr. Chakwas let out a smile. She embraced him in a motherly hug. "You are my son, John and I can never say no to you."

He smiled back. "See you later, Doctor."

"Don't forget to call your mother." She reminded him. He nodded.

Next John approached the cook of the Normandy. "Commander Shepard, the hero of the Citadel! You did humanity proud that day." Mess Sergeant Gardner said. "Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner here. I can be of service."

"Do you have everything you need?" John said.

"I make do, but have you ever tried to prepare a decent meal with military provisions? I'm good but I'm no miracle worker. Taking down the Collectors is going to be a tough business. The crew deserves a few fine meals before they throw themselves into the fire."

"What do you need?"

"If I had some quality ingredients….aw, shit. You have got more to worry about than grocery shopping on Citadel. Forget mentioned it." He apologized.

"If I head that way, I'll keep an eye out."

"Much appreciated. Most of this list is probably standard fare for those namby-pambies on the Citadel." Rupert thanked.

John decided to talk with Miranda next. On his way he came face-to-face with Jacob.

"Oh, Commander. I… I am going back to my post." Jacob said.

"It is okay, Jacob. I need to talk with Miranda about some important matters." John said. He saluted and went towards the elevator. John watched him go. He felt a minor tension between Miranda and Jacob. He decided to let it go and knocked on Miranda's door. She opened the door from inside and John stepped in. Her cabin was nice and large. He could see a bed, a sofa and a chair behind her.

"Do you have a minute, Miranda?" John asked.

"No doubt you have a lot of questions. Cerberus isn't as evil as most people believe. If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so. So, what would you like to know?" She asked.

"I know what we're doing here, but what's Cerberus' long-term goal?"

"The advancement of the human race. Nothing more, nothing less. The salarians have the Special tasks Group. The asari have their legendary commandos for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is humanity's answer to those organizations."

"But those organizations are regulated by governments. Who keeps Cerberus in check?"

"Nobody. We're privately funded, and our backers trust Illusive Man to make the right decisions. But he's very clear about our goals: protect humanity and serve its advancement."

"What kind of resources are we talking about?"

"We're very well-funded, though I doubt anyone other than the Illusive Man knows exactly how well. But our resources aren't unlimited. Reviving you and rebuilding the Normandy was significant investment. And significant risk. We're all hoping you can do the impossible, Jo… Commander. No pressure."

"What can you tell me about the Illusive Man?"

"Not much that you don't already know. Even I don't have access to most of his background. And you've seen more of him than most ever do. It's rare for him to become directly involved in missions, but you're something special. Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got humanity's best interests at heart. That includes you and me."

"How can you be so sure of that, if you know so little of him?"

"I didn't get to where I am without knowing how to gauge people's motives and ambitions. Even from brief encounters. He's no saint, and he'd be the first to admit it, but he is committed. Humanity couldn't have a better advocate."

 _There's nothing changing her mind. She believes what she says and most of all she looks at the Illusive Man with high regards._ Now, John was curious about her. She held his attention from the first moment he led his eyes on her. Of course it was her unearthly beauty that captivated him at first. But there's more to her than her physical appearance. He felt she is someone he can trust. Although she works for Cerberus, her motives seems genuine.

"Tell me about yourself, Miranda." John requested.

 _What should I tell you? You know everything._ Miranda thought looking at his eyes. For a moment their eyes locked with each other and a hint of recognition passed through his eyes.

"I guess that's fair, I've spent the last two years learning everything there is to know about you." She paused. _That's a lie. I knew everything about you for a long time, John._ "Well, you should probably know that I've extensive…." She was interrupted by John.

"Genetic modification." John completed the sentence for her.

Miranda looked at him with widened eyes. _He remembers? Does this mean he got his memory back?_ "How do you know?" She asked. He looked confused.

"I… I don't know." He replied confused.

"All right. As I was saying, it's because of my genetic modifications the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just anything I choose to do or what I want to accomplish." She said looking at him. John felt as if she just directed those words at him. He didn't interrupt. She continued, "Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly and I'll likely live half again as long as the average human. My biotic abilities are also very advanced…. For a human. Add to that some of the best training and education money can buy and, well, it's pretty impressive really."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect." John said. _She is perfect._

"Maybe, but I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my abilities."

"And you did more than that, Miranda. You did the impossible. You accomplished something which no one ever dreamt of. You brought a dead man back to live. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here now. You are a miracle, Miranda. Never forget that." John appreciated her.

"Thank you, Commander. It meant a lot to me." She couldn't hide the blush that spread over her cheeks.

"Anyways, thanks for the information, Miranda. I will let you work." John turned away to leave but Miranda stopped him by grabbing his wrist. He looked back at her questioningly.

"I never thanked you for saving my life out there, Commander. So, thank you." She said.

"It's what a team-mate should do: look after another. You, Jacob and I are a team, Miranda. So, no need to thank me." He replied with a smile. Then he remembered something.

"Miranda I have to ask you a favor." John said.

"Yes, Commander. I am here to assist you in anything you need." She replied.

"Back at the Freedom's Progress I saw the display of your biotics. Can you teach me how to control it and use it?" He asked.

"It will be my pleasure, Commander. I will let you know the time." She agreed.

"I appreciate this, Miranda. Talk to you later." He thanked her and stepped outside her cabin. Miranda followed him to the door. Her eyes fell on his impressive physique and she couldn't help but admire it. He wore a tight full sleeve T-shirt over his body but it doesn't hide his abs and the lean muscles on his back or his biceps. That was enough for any woman to drool on him, if she left out how handsome he is. And about that, she noticed the female crew members were ogling him and were giggling among themselves. She knew perfectly well what they were thinking. First Kelly Chambers and now them. She sent an icy glare at their direction which was enough to shut them up.

 _No one ogles my man._ Satisfied she went back to her cabin and closed the door behind her.

John took the elevator back to the CIC and went to talk to Jacob. He was there in the Armory looking over some guns.

"Commander. There hasn't been time to really settle in and take stock." Jacob apologized. "I want to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters. It's a privilege to serve on the Normandy, Commander."

"You may change your tune if we end up like the original Normandy." John said.

"Maybe. As long as the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed. That's been the condition for my service so far. I have issues with certain actions Cerberus has taken in the past."

"It's good to hear a clear opinion. Sounds like we're two of a kind."

"That honors me more than you, Commander. Let me know if you need anything."

"We need to upgrade the weapons if are to fight against the Collectors. I doubt our current weapons will do any good." John said.

"Agreed, Commander. As soon as we land on Omega I will look for the supplies." Jacob said.

"And there's something else, Jacob. Can you teach me to use my biotics?" John asked.

"Sure, Commander. Anytime you are free." Jacob agreed too.

"I appreciate this. That's all for now, Jacob." John said and went to the CIC. He decided to take some rest before they reach Omega. He took the lift to Deck 1 and went inside his cabin. His eyes widened and only one word left his mouth, "Whoa!"

 **CITADEL, ADMIRAL SHEPARD'S APARTMENT**

"Hannah, you should calm down. I am sure she is fine." Anderson assured her.

"How can you tell that, David? You don't know for sure. First, I thought my son was dead. Then I got him back after fifteen years of suffering. And two years ago he died. He died, David! My son is gone, forever. But for all those years when I didn't have my son, I had my friend with me. Karin was there with me in every step. Now, she is also missing. How can you expect me to be calm?" Hannah replied angrily. "Moreover the Council now denies the very existence of the Reapers. They are completely ignoring the warning. This is an insult to my son's memory! This is what he gets after what he did. I really do hate politics."

"Hannah….." Anderson stopped as Hannah's computer beeped, indicating that she has received a message.

"Another message. Probably ordering me to go back to duty." Hannah scoffed.

"Check it." Anderson advised.

Hannah nodded reluctantly and opened her inbox. The message was sent from an unknown sender. She wondered how a message from an unknown sender came to her inbox, because this email is secured by Alliance military internet security. At first, she decided to delete it but curiosity got the better of her and she finally opened it. Reading the content her eyes widened.

"David…. Come here." She called in a broken voice.

Concerned Anderson went to her computer to see what was bothering her. He looked at the message and his eyes widened in disbelief. The message was very short. It says: _Your son is alive and well. Will be arriving soon on Citadel._

 _ **Note: I thought that Miranda should confess to Jacob about her relationship with John otherwise he would have pursued her again and that she didn't want. So, she made the closure. She seems a little out of character here by telling Jacob about her private life, but since she is less colder here and the situation is entirely different, I made her confess. I hope you like this chapter. Let me know, what you think.**_


	37. Dr Chakwas' suspicions

**1 HOUR LATER, AT THE CARGO BAY OF THE NORMANDY**

"Commander, this will prove to be very difficult at first. After I first got my implants I never managed to use my biotics, until I get used to my implants. But you don't seem to have any kind of implants, so it may be more difficult for you." Jacob said.

"Great, Jacob." John rolled his eyes. "Except, we don't have much time."

"Yeah. Look we won't give up, until you make any progress. Are you ready, Commander?" Jacob asked.

John nodded. Jacob continued, "So, at first I want to tell you how to channel the energy through your body at will. It's a simple method but also a hard one."

"How so?" John asked curiously.

"You need to focus on your energy that is coursing through your body. You must summon it. How you can do it, I cannot tell. You have to figure it out yourself." Jacob explained.

"What do you mean?" John asked since he had no clue.

"You must feel it. Your mind is the key." Jacob answered.

 _Feel it? I have never felt anything at all. Well, it won't hurt to try._ John thought. He closed his eyes and started to concentrate on the energy inside his body. Five, ten, twenty, even thirty minutes passed, but still nothing. John begin to feel frustrated. _How much longer will it take for me just to feel my energy?_

Jacob sensed his frustration. "Don't give up, Commander. You will feel it."

John tried but nothing. Then his concentration shifted to the vivid images he sees in his dream every time he slept: A girl falling down from a platform into dark void, her arms outstretched towards him. But he couldn't make out her face as it was always unclear in his dreams. He don't know why, but he felt inside his heart that he needed to save that girl from falling into the abyss, _no matter what._ His determination to save the girl increased and he felt something inside him. A raw, primal power, struggling to get free.

Jacob was leaning against the wall at a safe distance away from John. He was observing John from there. He had to admit that this is more difficult than he thought it would be. He never knew a human who had biotic ability without any implants. _Well, except him._ He closed his eyes and sighed. Suddenly he felt it. He opened his eyes and his eyes widened. The Commander was bent down on the floor with his eyes closed. Sweat were running down from his forehead from his effort to channel his biotic powers and he succeeded. His entire body was glowing with dark energy.

"Commander! You did i….." Jacob's words were left unspoken as he saw his Commander slump to the ground, unconscious. "What the….." Jacob ran to his unconscious body. John was lying on his stomach face-first to the ground. Jacob gently turned him around and noticed trail of blood at the corner of his lips and under his nose.

"Damn it!" Jacob cursed. He immediately alerted the med-bay about the Commander's condition and called few crew members to carry the Commander to the med-bay.

 **FEW MINUTES LATER AT THE MED-BAY**

Jacob was peering through the glass of the med-bay wall watching the Doctor checking on the Commander. He had no idea what just happened. Then he heard, clicks of high heels behind him and realized she is here. He turned around to face her.

"What happened to him?" She asked without any emotion.

"Dunno. One minute we were practicing, next moment he just collapsed. I brought him here immediately." Jacob answered.

She stepped past him and entered the med-bay, locking the door from inside. With few taps on the computer in the med-bay she blackened the glass preventing anyone from outside to see what was happening. She head straight to the Doctor, who was busy reading a medical report.

"What do you think, Doctor?" Miranda asked looking towards John's face. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful.

"Mr. Taylor explained to me what happened. He just pushed himself too far. He just needs to sleep." Dr. Chakwas suggested. Miranda nodded in relief, although she didn't show any emotion.

Dr. Chakwas watched the young woman carefully. There's something about her. When she first heard the name, Miranda Lawson, she thought that Miranda is John's lost love. But noticing her day after day she dismissed that idea because this woman has no emotion, she is always cold, never talks outside business and the crew certainly fears her. When John became alive and she saw both of them talking she noticed the look in Miranda Lawson's eyes. Where there was always coldness in her eyes, they were filled with warmth whenever Miranda looked at John. This observation brought her suspicions back. One thing she is sure about that Miranda Lawson cares for John, more than a XO should care for her Commander and it was genuine. Dr. Chakwas has met many people in her life and she has several experiences and based on her experiences she could tell that this young woman genuinely cares about John. This isn't just an attraction. Her thoughts broke by Miranda's voice, "I will stay here and watch over him for a while. You should take some rest, Doctor."

"It's okay Miss Lawson. It's no problem." Dr. Chakwas protested, she didn't want to leave John.

"I insist. I will be here until you return or he wakes up." Miranda said.

"All right Miss Lawson. I will be back soon." Dr. Chakwas stepped outside the med-bay and closed the door.

Miranda watched the Doctor leave. She sat down on a chair beside John's bed and placed her hand on his forehead. She looked towards his sleeping face and wondered when he will let her live without any worry. This stubborn man was always the cause of her worry, when he was a boy and that haven't changed till now and she knew this won't change ever. She knew that Jacob meant well. This wasn't his fault at all. This is all John's fault. He must have pushed himself beyond his limit as the Doctor said.

"You ass! What I'm going to do with you?" She said with a scowl on her face but she could never stay angry with him for long. _That must be part of his charm._ She thought and a smile formed on her face.

"You worried me today, John." She murmured clasping their fingers together. He had indeed made her worry today. "Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you understand?" She scolded him, even though he couldn't hear her. Then she bent forward and gently kissed his forehead.

At that moment Dr. Chakwas entered the med-bay and she saw the Cerberus Operative kissing John on his forehead. The way she held his hand, the concern on her face, the way she is looking at him: All these facts made Dr. Chakwas' suspicions grow more strong.

 _This must be her._

She decided to talk with the woman.

Miranda let his hand go as soon as the Doctor entered the med-bay. But she knew it was too late because the Doctor saw everything.

"Miss Lawson. Do you have a moment to talk? Privately?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"This place is secure enough, Doctor. Please lock the door." Miranda agreed. The Doctor did as she was told and came near her. Miranda looked at her questioningly, "You have something to talk about, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded but didn't speak. Instead of speaking she just kept on observing Miranda which made her uncomfortable. Miranda cleared her throat to get her attention. But the Doctor's question threw Miranda off-guard at the next moment.

"Are you his 'Miri'? Are you the one he grew up with?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

Miranda hesitated. She didn't expected the Doctor to know about John's childhood.

"I know what you are thinking Miss Lawson. Yes, he told me about you. Several times. And you can trust me to let me know the truth." Dr. Chakwas assured. "So, are you the one?" She added softly.

"Yes. I am." Miranda answered.

 _ **Note: This chapter is intentionally made short. I wanted this part to be separate.**_


	38. The Professor

"Yes. I am." Miranda's answer confirmed the Doctor's suspicions.

 _After so many years they have found each other at last._ She knew how desperately John searched for this woman. Now, she felt relief seeing that he has succeeded in finding her. He deserves some happiness. They both deserve some happiness. But, Miranda is a Cerberus Operative. She has heard all about Cerberus and their ruthless experiments.

 _How can John love a Cerberus Operative?_ She thought. Then she realized she is being irrational and unfair. There must be more to this woman than she let everyone see about her. John saw that and truth be told she could see something too. As much as she heard, Miranda was the director of the Lazarus Project, the program whose sole purpose was to bring John back alive. She is amazed, actually more than amazed. Cerberus really achieved impossible.

"How do you feel after getting him back after so many years?" Dr. Chakwas asked the younger woman kindly.

"I don't know." Miranda murmured.

Her answer surprised Dr. Chakwas. _What does she mean by 'I don't know'? Isn't she happy to get him back? Or did she already moved on with her life?_ _If she has, I cannot blame her. It's practical to do so._

"What do you mean?" Dr. Chakwas asked. Miranda hesitated to answer. Realizing her hesitation Dr. Chakwas moved closer to her and placed her hand on Miranda's head in a motherly gesture. "You can trust me, child. Whatever you say won't leave this room. That's a promise and I keep my promises." She assured.

Miranda nodded in understanding. "It's not that Doctor. I trust you because he trusts you."

 _Wow! That much faith!?_ Dr. Chakwas thought. "Then?" She asked.

"I don't know how to express what I feel. I have never shared this with anybody. It's just…" Miranda hesitated.

"I won't pressure you. You can tell me when you are comfortable." The Doctor said.

"No. No. I must do it now." Miranda paused. "When he died, I was literally destroyed. I was prepared to end my life but the thought of another person kept me going because that person needed me. So, I had to remain strong for that person."

"Do you mind telling me who is that person?"

"I am sorry, Doctor. I am not comfortable in talking about that person."

"Alright. Go on."

"One day the Illusive Man told me that his body has been found and it's my responsibility to bring him back to life. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't think straight. After thinking about him for some time, I got the faith to do it because I had to bring him back, at all cost. I made a promise to myself that I won't stop until I brought him back alive. That was the sole purpose of my life, nothing else mattered at that time. For two years, we worked on him. His body was in worse shape than I imagined. We had to use cybernetics to rebuild his body. It was hard for me to watch, so I directed the project from distance. I only came close to his body when it was absolutely necessary and finally after two long years we got the success." She paused for a moment and continued, "I was excited when I first met him after he woke up but he didn't recognize me at all." Miranda said with sadness in her voice.

"He didn't?" Dr. Chakwas asked in surprise.

"No and it isn't his fault. He has amnesia. He doesn't remember me or anything about his childhood." Miranda revealed.

"So, this explains his unusual brain activity. The scan showed some signs of trauma in his brain but I couldn't figure out the reason." Dr. Chakwas concluded. "But one thing I don't understand, you said that you used cybernetics to rebuild him, but the scan didn't show any trace of cybernetics in his body."

"You won't believe me if I tell you, Doctor." Miranda said.

"Try me."

Miranda then explained to the Doctor what happened earlier. Dr. Chakwas listened to her carefully but she couldn't think of any explanation either. "I don't know what to say….. but I do believe you."

"Thank you, Doctor." Miranda said.

"Maybe, I can help regarding his amnesia." Dr. Chakwas proposed.

"You can?" Miranda asked genuinely surprised.

"I believe, I can. But not now." Dr. Chakwas said.

"Thank you, Doctor. I…"

"You don't have to say anything. I will leave the two of you alone for now." Dr. Chakwas said with a sly smile while exiting the med-bay. Hearing her comment, Miranda's cheeks turned red. The Doctor left the med-bay with a slight chuckle, amused seeing the cold, hard Cerberus Operative blushing like a teenage girl.

 **HORIZON**

"Get those ammunition boxes over there Michael, and be careful." Ashley Williams ordered one of the soldiers under her command. She has been stationed on Horizon for a while now. Life is boring here. Nothing has happened here since she has been sent here and she doubt that anything will ever happen. She still remembered that horrific day of her life. The destruction of the Normandy and …. His death. At first she wasn't ready to accept that he was gone but as time passed she was forced to accept the fact that he is never coming back. She also remembers the kiss they shared at Citadel tower after the defeat of Saren and Sovereign. That kiss meant something to her. Her only regret was that they never talked about it.

 _Perhaps he didn't felt the same._ _It must be that, because when I kissed him he never kissed me back._ But it was a chance she had to take. After his death everything fell apart. The team got separated, went in their own way, the Council denied the existence of the Reapers even after what he did. They just….. just dishonored his memory. She and the Lieutenant got themselves busy with the Alliance.

 _And speaking of the Lieutenant, where is he?_

She moved forward in search for the Lieutenant. She found him in front of a computer after sometime. His face looked grim.

"Lieutenant…." Ashley started to say but was interrupted by Kaidan.

"I have some news. Both good and bad." Kaidan said.

"What is it?" Ashley asked eagerly.

"Rumors are that the Commander is alive and….."

"What!? He is alive?" Ashley asked with excitement in her voice.

"Yes but that's not all. The rumor is also that he is working for Cerberus." Kaidan revealed.

"That's…. What!? No way!" Ashely said outraged.

"It seems so and the source of the news is reliable enough."

"I can't believe this. I can't. Working with the terrorists? What has gotten into him?"

"We still aren't 100% sure, Ashley."

"Yeah, I hope the latter news is not true." Ashley murmured.

 **OMEGA**

John led Miranda and Jacob through a corridor in Omega to search for the Salarian scientist. They just left the docks and were greeted by a salarian.

"Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell. Allow me to….." He stopped as a Batarian guard stepped past him. "Oh…. Hello, Moklan! I was just….." He greeted the Batarian.

"Leave, Fargut. Now." Moklan ordered.

"Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" The salarian gulped and quickly escaped.

The Batarian then turned to John. "Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega…. Shepard."

 _They know who I am?_ John wondered how. "You know who I am?" He asked Moklan.

"Of course. We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not subtle as you think. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself." Moklan suggested.

"Cut the attitude. I'm not here to cause problems for Omega." John replied irritated.

"Things explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you." Moklan said while making an imaginary image of explosion with his hand. Miranda had to look away to hide her smile. Jacob almost chuckled but he hid it well. John on the other hand looked embarrassed. Miranda saw the tip of his ears turning pink. She placed her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from giggling. It has been a long time since she saw him embarrassed and she is quite enjoying it.

"Afterlife. Now." Moklan ordered and left.

At that moment they heard EDI's voice in their comm. " _I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr. Mordin Solus runs the clinic. Anticipate resistance at the transport station. I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him."_ EDI informed.

"Thanks EDI." John said.

" _No need, Commander. I am programmed to assist you."_ EDI replied.

The trio stepped forward and saw a mercenary beating the shit out of a Batarian. The mercenary's one eye was of stone. _This must be Zaeed Massani._ John realized.

"You Zaeed Massani?" John asked.

"Yeah. That's me. You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save." Zaeed said.

"I assume you have been briefed?"

"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know."

"Good to have you, Zaeed. We have a lot to do."

"That's what they tell me. I assume the Illusive Man told you about our arrangement?"

"What kind of arrangement?"

"Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested. You heard the name Vido Santigo?" Zaeed asked.

"No. Never heard of him. Who is he?" John asked.

"He's the head of the Blue Suns. He runs the whole organization. Recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using workers for slave labor." It was Miranda who answered.

Zaeed looked at her surprised. Slowly a sly smile appeared in his face. "You seem to know a lot about me babe. Who is she Shepard?" Zaeed asked.

"She is the XO of the Normandy, Miranda Lawson." John replied with a frown. He didn't like the way Zaeed was looking at Miranda.

Zaeed's smile only grew wider. "You know staying on a small ship gets boring after a while. Maybe you can be the source of my entertainment. What else can you do besides warming my bed, babe?" Zaeed asked with lust in his eyes.

John got furious. He just wanted to snap Zaeed's neck with his bare hands at that moment. He can't figure out why, but he feels immensely protective of Miranda although he knows she can take care of herself. He just couldn't help it.

At Zaeed's flirty comment Miranda smiled seductively at him instead of becoming angry. "I can do more. Want me to show you now?" She asked seductively.

John greeted his teeth and clenched his fist in anger. The image of Zaeed and Miranda kissing or being intimate was like a killing blow to him. _Why am I feeling like this? And what is this I am feeling?_ Then he realized something. _Wait a minute. This… This can't be true. No never._ He tried to deny to himself but deep down he knew that he was jealous. More than jealous. He wanted to tear apart any man who looked at her in bad way.

"Really babe? In front of everyone?" Zaeed asked.

"If you don't mind then I don't either." Miranda flirted back.

"I certainly don't mind. Come on babe. Show me what you got." Zaeed said.

Miranda moved towards Zaeed, swaying her hips seductively. Zaeed's eyes travelled from her waist to her breasts. She came very close to the mercenary, so close that their bodies were almost touching. Zaeed looked at her face and smirked. "No one could ever resist Za… Ugh!" Zaeed yelled out in pain at that moment because Miranda has crushed his foot with one of her high heels. She flared her biotics and held the mercenary against the wall by placing her elbow against his throat and her knee at his groin. "Want to see what I can do?" Miranda asked with a cold smile.

Zaeed's eyes widened. "Let me go! You….."

"Never look at me like that ever again or the consequences will be rather severe." Miranda warned and let him go.

"Damn you woman! You toyed with me!" Zaeed cursed.

John and Jacob looked at each other and smirked. The moment Miranda attacked Zaeed John felt relief course through his body but just before that he was about to step in between them to prevent them from….. Fraternizing?

 _Huh! She showed him his place!_ John thought happily.

"You this attitude against your sluts Mr. Massani. But not me." Miranda warned and stepped back at John's side. He looked at her and let out a small smile.

 _What was that I saw in his smile? A sign of relief and perhaps… joy?_ She thought. _Maybe._ Because when she stepped past John towards Zaeed she saw his face was red in anger and there was also a sign of jealousy. Well he couldn't hide anything from her ever and he never could. She knew him better than herself. _Well the feeling is still there even he has no knowledge about it._ She thought happily.

"I hope you have learnt your lesson Zaeed. Try to respect women from now on. So about your request, you want to get rid of Vido Santiago. Isn't it?" John said.

"Yeah." Zaeed said, still panting.

"I'll make sure we get that done." John assured Zaeed.

"Good. Get it out of the way so we can concentrate on being goddamn heroes. I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done." Zaeed said.

 **AFTERLIFE CLUB, FEW MINUTES LATER**

The trio went to the club to see Aria. The only reason John heard Moklan was Aria could give them some detailed information about Dr. Mordin Solus and Archangel. He checked the list of squad that Cerberus suggested: 1. Dr. Mordin Solus (Scientist)

2\. Archangel (?)

3\. Jack (?)

4\. Zaeed Massani (Mercenary)

5\. Samara (Justicar)

6\. Thane (Assassin)

7\. Kasumi (Thief)

8\. Okir (Krogan Warlord)

He sighed. The squad members that Cerberus suggested is odd. Scientist, Justicar, Assassins, Merenaries, Warlord and Thief? What can a thief do against the Collectors? He have Miranda and Jacob now and Zaeed also. Miranda and Jacob, both are excellent in combat. Especially Miranda, because he felt a link exists between them. She could understand what he needed her to do even before he speaks. They work in perfect synchronization. John couldn't help but notice how all the men were ogling Miranda as soon as she stepped in the Afterlife. He was angry and jealous but he couldn't blame those men. Everything about Miranda screams for attraction and truth be told he did notice her, several times. He pushed his thoughts back at the end of his mind when they spotted Moklan.

Moklan gestured them upstairs. Their bodies were scanned before they could see Aria. John spotted an asari standing with her back towards them. He took a step forward.

"That's close enough." Aria said and her guards turned their weapons on the three of them immediately. Jacob and Miranda also raised their guns.

"I was told you're the person to talk if I have questions." John said.

"That depends on the questions." Aria said after turning back towards the three of them.

"You run Omega?" John asked.

Aria begin to laugh at his question. "I am Omega." She answered. "But you need more. Everyone needs more something. And they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule." She paused. "Don't fuck with Aria."

"Easy to remember." John replied.

"If you forget, someone will remind you." Aria warned.

"And then I toss your sorry ass out the nearest airlock." The batarian guard named Garka said.

"I would like you to try it." Miranda smirked. John signaled her not to provoke them.

"It won't come to that." John assured Aria. "I'm looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where can I find him?"

"The salarian doctor? Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone. I always liked Mordin. He's likely to heal you as he is to shoot you." Aria replied.

"How do I get to him?"

"If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in, of course."

"I see. I am also trying to track down Archangel."

"You and half of Omega. You want him dead, too?"

"I'm putting a team together, he's on my list."

"Interesting." Aria smiled. "You're going to make some enemies teaming up with Archangel. That's assuming you can get to him. He is in a bit of trouble right now."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The local merc groups have joined forces to take him down. They've got him cornered, but it sounds like they're having trouble finishing him off. They've started hiring anybody with a gun to help them."

"Sounds like that might be our ticket in." Jacob said to Miranda. She nodded in return.

"They're using private room for recruiting…. Just over there." Aria gestured towards the room to her left. "I'm sure they will sign you up."

"What can you tell me about Archangel?" John asked since Cerberus couldn't provide any information about him.

"Not as much as I'd like. He showed up here several months ago and started causing all sorts of problems. If you make your own laws….. which everyone here does…. He makes life difficult. He's reckless and idealistic. But he seems to know enough to stay clear of me."

"Which merc groups are after Archangel?"

"Blue Suns. Eclipse. Blood Pack. They're Omega's major players. Unless they are at war, you'll never see them together. But one thing they hate more than each other is Archangel."

"Do you hate Archangel?"

"I don't have time for hate. But I distrust them all equally. For now, I'm happy to just let them kill each other."

"I appreciate the help."

"See if you still feel that way when the mercs realize you're here to help him." Aria mocked.

"Sounds like I don't have much time to waste." John said.

"You've got all the time in the world. Archangel…. Not so much." Aria said. "And you…" She said to Miranda. "I don't like your attitude much. You are Cerberus aren't you?"

"I don't care what you think about me and yes, I am a Cerberus Operative." Miranda replied calmly.

"Told you I don't like your attitude. Ah! I am a fool! What else can I expect from a Cerberus whore?" Aria said.

John flinched at the word 'whore'. Queen of Omega or not, no one calls Miranda that. No one. His back was turned towards Aria as he was about to leave. "Take it back, Aria. Now." His voice was cold as he spoke. Aria would never accept it, but his voice sent a chill up her spine. She covered with her uncaring attitude. "Sorry. Did I heard you correctly, Shepard? You are asking the queen of Omega to apologize to a Cerberus whore?"

"You heard what I said and I told you not to call her that." John replied without looking at Aria.

"Are you threatening me? I would call her 'whore' because she is a whore." Aria smirked.

This time John didn't say anything. He turned his head sideways towards Aria. And it took one glare, just one glare to shut up the queen of Omega. Aria looked at his cold blue eyes and as he looked towards her in anger, his eyes glowed for just a second. Her eyes widened and her smirk vanished as she realized with whom she is talking. She is aware of the prophecy. Very few has the knowledge about it and she is counted among those few. She thought it was just a myth but now the myth is standing in front of her. Still she couldn't bring herself to apologize to the Cerberus Operative. She is the bloody queen of Omega. She has a prestige. What will her men think if she apologized to the Cerberus Operative in front of them? So, she signaled her men to leave them alone. After they left she looked at Miranda, who was staring at her with arms folded over her breasts. "ITWON'THAPPENAGAIN." She apologized quickly. "Now leave." She said turning her back towards them telling them silently that the conversation is over.

They left Aria alone. Then John's gaze fell on the bar to his left.

 _A Serrice Ice Brandy. That's what the Doc wants. I should get it._ He stepped towards the bar quickly and asked for one bottle. The bartender said that this one is rare and he is lucky to have it. Next came the problem, when he tried to pay. He realized that he has no credits to pay for the bottle. He turned to Miranda. "Ah! Miranda could you pay for this? I will repay you once we get to Citadel."

"No need, Commander. Your account has already been credited with sufficient funds by Cerberus." Miranda revealed. John noticed that she was standing very close to him, watching over the crowd absent-mindedly. Jacob was a few feet away watching the dance of an asari dancer. He smiled and shook his head. He paid for the bottle and then he realized something.

 _How did they get access to my bank informations?_ He then looked towards Miranda. "I have one question." He said. Hearing his voice she turned her head towards him questioningly. "How did you know about my bank data? How much do you know about me?"

At his question Miranda invaded his personal space and looked at him straight in his eyes. "Everything." She said and moved towards Jacob who was busy watching the asari dancer. She just left him there dumbstruck. John wasn't dumb. He could realize she had a deeper meaning in her answer.

 _Is it possible that Miranda knew him for longer than he knows? Is she someone from his past, the past which he cannot remember?_ As he concentrated on his past he felt a sharp pain shot through his head.

"Ah!" He shook his head and wait for the pain to gone. It was gone as quickly as it came. He pushed those thoughts at the back of his mind and concentrated on his mission. Wasting no time, the three of them stepped towards the quarantine zone.

On their way they got some new weapons and upgrades for the Normandy. They also managed to acquire the missing tech that Ken and Gabby requested from the shop of a young quarian named Kenn. It seemed the young quarian wanted to leave the place but he had no credits to book a ride. So, John offered him a few credits. The young quarian was glad and let John buy the missing tech at a large discount. Finally they approached the entrance to the quarantine zone. A turian guard was there, arguing with a human female.

"Complaining is pointless, human. There's a plague. Nobody gets in or out." The turian guard said.

"You can't keep me out! I live in there!" The human female argued.

"I'm doing you a favor, lady. If you go in, the guards will cut you down."

"You can't do this! Everything I own is in that apartment!"

"I told you to get lost, lady! The plague has the whole zone quarantined! Nobody gets in!"

"I'm human, you ass! Humans can't get the plague! Now let me get my stuff out before looters get it!"

"The thing affects every other race out there! We're not taking chances. Nobody gets in until the plague has runs its course."

This time John approached the guard. "There's a salarian named Mordin Solus in the slums. I've got to get in there to find him."

"The doctor? Crazy bastard opened a clinic in the district a few months ago. The Blue Suns weren't too happy when he moved in. I hear Mordin's trying to deal with the plague. I wish him luck, but the area is still locked down. Our orders are to wait until either the plague or the Blue Suns kill everyone, then go in and clean up."

"Listen, you're stuck here until this quarantine is over. That could take weeks. What you really need is to get this problem solved right now. That's what I do…. Solve problems. Let me in, and I'll get the district straightened out."

"You think you can fix this, why not? The quarantine is more to keep infected people in, anyway. I'll radio ahead, tell them you're coming in." The guard agreed.

"Wait, you're stopping me but not them? You son of a bitch!" The human female said angrily.

"You don't have a grenade launcher, lady. Get lost." The guard warned while he let the three of them pass.

They took a shuttle to the quarantine zone and it looked as the turian guard said all the guards inside the area has been informed of their presence. They looked around the area and found tons of dead bodies lying scattered around the area.

"Fortunately, humans are immune to the plague." Miranda murmured.

As they proceeded further the guards warned them about the Blue Suns and vorcha. They opened a door in front of them and saw two Batarians standing at the end of the corridor. Their armors were indicating that they belong to the Blue Suns. Giving them no opportunity the three of them open fired. The two mercenaries were caught off guard and got no time to save themselves or return fire. They were dead before they could realize who just shot them.

"What's that?" Jacob said.

"What?" Miranda asked.

"Listen carefully." Jacob said and true to his word they heard a painful groan. John followed the noise and found a wounded Batarian, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"Human. Should have guessed. Bad enough you infect us with this plague. Now you lack the decency to even wait until I die before you come to steal my possessions." The wounded Batarian said.

"We are here to help. Is there anything I can do to help you?" John asked kindly.

"Get away from me, human! Your kind has done too much already! Your plague did this to me. You feigned pity is the final insult."

"I need to find Mordin Solus. Can you tell me which way his clinic is?"

"Humans looking for the human sympathizer. I hope the vorcha burn Mordin and his clinic to the ground. I hope you…Ah!"

Seeing his critical condition John helped the batarian with some medigel. "Hey, stay with me! This won't cure the plague, but it might help a bit."

The medigel worked and the batarian slowly got to his feet. He looked at them, both confused and grateful. "You…. You helped me. Why?"

"It's what I do. I don't know if I can find a cure for this plague, but I'm going to try."

"Your words sound…. Sincere. Maybe it's the fever, but as you said…. What have I to lose?"

"When I find Mordin, I'll tell him about you. If he has a cure, I'll make someone gets it to you."

"Thank you. My time is running short, but at least you have given me a flicker of hope to brighten the darkness of my final hours. I don't want to die. Whatever Mordin is, I will risk it, if he can reach me."

"What makes Mordin worse than dying from the plague?"

"The Blue Suns tried to press him for protection money. He killed them. Stunned them with some kind of toxin, then gunned them down. He's not just a doctor. Doctors don't execute people and display bodies as a warning.

"I see. Wait here. I will tell Mordin to send someone to escort you." John said. Then the three of them moved forward. They turned a few corridors to found their way blocked by the Blue Suns mercenaries and the vorcha with a krogan warlord as their leader.

Immediately bullets started to fly. The three of them were forced to take cover as their enemies were far greater in number. But that didn't stop them. They took down their enemies one by one. A vorcha was approaching with a flame thrower in his hand. Miranda shot the gas tank on its back causing it to explode. The resulting explosion killed the vorcha and few more who was near him. Jacob fired a few shots on the krogan. But it wasn't enough to stop him. Miranda sent a warp towards the krogan, draining his barrier completely. John and Jacob open fired. While firing Jacob tossed a grenade at the krogan's feet. The explosion was enough to kill him.

"The Blue Suns have given up a lot of turf. That doesn't bode well for them." Jacob said. They made no further resistance on their way to the clinic. Mordin's secretary showed them the way to Mordin. When they approached him, he was busy working on a table.

"Professor Mordin Solus?" John said.

Hearing John's voice, Mordin looked up. "Hm. Don't recognize you from area. Too-well armed to be refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom. Not a cause. The plague? Investigating possible use as bio-weapon? No. too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists." He said this very quickly.

"Relax, Mordin. I'm Commander Shepard and I came here to find you. I'm on a critical mission, and I need your help." John said.

"Mission? What mission? No. too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?"

"Ever heard of an organization called Cerberus?"

"Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans. Why request salarian aid?"

"I'm on a mission to shut down the Collectors, and I need your help."

"Collectors? Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of the few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

"I'll get in and deal with the vorcha." John offered.

Suddenly they heard some system shut downs over the area.

"What the hell was that?" Jacob said.

"Vorcha have shut down the environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get the power back on before district suffocates. Here, take plague cure. Also, bonus in good faith. Weapons from dead Blue Suns mercs. May come in handy against vorcha." Mordin said handing John a new kind of handgun. They were about to leave but Mordin stopped them. "One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back."

"If I see him, I'll do what I can to help." John said.

"Thank you. Told him not to go. But he's smart. Bright future. I hope."

"I found a batarian plague victim near the entrance to the neighborhood. Can you send someone to help him?"

"Risky. Blue Suns, vorcha still battling. District not secure. See what I can do."

 **A FEW MINUTES LATER**

Miranda heard some voices inside a door to her left. He signaled her team mates. She quickly opened the door and the three of them entered with their guns raised in front of them. There were three batarians threatening a human. By the look of his outfit he seems to be Mordin's assistant, Daniel.

"Please…. I'm telling the truth. I work for Mordin at the clinic. I came here to help you." The man pleaded to the batarian who held him by the front of his shirt.

"We know you're spreading the plague virus. We saw the vials in your bag." The batarian said.

"No! Those vials contain the cure. Please…. You have to believe me." Daniel pleaded again.

"Maybe we should cut off your fingers. That should loosen your…" The batarian stopped when he spotted three armed human in the room. "Don't move! One more step, and we will kill your friend!"

"I know you are scared. Of the vorcha. Of the plague. But this man isn't to blame. If he was spreading the virus, why would he come into the vorcha territory? They're immune." John tried to reason.

The batarian understood. "He's right. It doesn't make any sense. If we release the prisoner, we can go?"

"You have my word on it." John assured.

"Let him go." The leader of the batarian ordered his men. Then he turned towards John. "You got what you wanted, human. Are we free to go?"

John lowered his gun and so did Jacob and Miranda. "We had a deal."

"Human nobility. I didn't know such a thing existed." The batarian said while leaving with his men.

John turned to Daniel who was still shaking in fear. "Thank you. I thought they were going to….. kill me." Daniel thanked them. "Did Mordin send you to find me?" He added.

"The Professor could use your help right now. He's got too many patients and not enough volunteers."

"Yeah, okay. I'll go right away. Thanks again. I owe you… well…. Everything." He thanked again and left the room quickly.

The three of them proceeded towards the environmental fans. They reached there after killing several more vorchas. There was a large group of vorchas guarding the environmental fans to prevent them from delivering the cure.

"You no come here. We shut down machines, break fans! Everyone choke and die! Then Collectors make us strong!" The leader of the vorchas spoke.

"What do the Collectors want?" John asked.

"Collectors want plague! You work for doctor, turn on machines, put cure in air. We kill you first!"

Immediately another fire fight started. Bullets, teach attacks and biotics flew by. Soon the entire area was clear of the enemies. Next, EDI's voice was sounded in their comm, _"Shepard, I've scanned the room. The central control system is in an alcove in the center of the back wall. You can inject the cure and re-initialize the systems there."_

They did as EDI suggested. They put in the cure and get the fans working.

"We did it." Jacob said.

 **LATER, BACK AT THE CLINIC**

"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard. Thank you." Mordin said.

"And thank you from me as well. Those batarians would have killed me." Daniel stepped forward. "For a second there, I thought you were going to shoot them even after they let me go."

"He is not like that. He always keeps his promises." Miranda answered surprising John.

"Merciful of you. Risky. Would have killed them myself." Mordin said.

"Professor? How can you say that? You're a doctor. You believe in helping people." Daniel said angrily.

"Lots of way to help people. Sometimes heal patients. Sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps. Go check on patients. Lots of work to do. Think about what I said." Mordin said to Daniel. They saw him move towards other patients to help them. Mordin turned towards John. "Good kid. Bit naïve. He'll learn. Letting him take over the clinic. Should be able to handle it now that vorcha are gone."

"We've cured the plague. Are you ready to help stop the Collectors?" John asked.

"Yes. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus. Many surprises." Mordin agreed.

"Well. See you on the Normandy, Professor." John said and turned to leave but Mordin stopped him.

"I need to check you, Shepard." Mordin said.

"Check me? Why?" John said.

"Just come closer, Commander." Mordin requested. John came forward as Mordin told. He immediatelt grabbed John's face and begin to examine his head.

"Hm. Signs of amnesia. Nothing to worry." Mordin murmured.

"Wha…. Agh!" John couldn't ask his question as Mordin shocked him. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Miranda immediately came to John's aid. She cradled the upper part of his body in her arms, placing his head against her shoulder.

"What the hell did you do?!" Jacob said raising his gun.

"See for yourself." Came Mordin's reply.

"John! John!" Miranda called his name repeatedly begging him to wake up. And he did wake up after a minute.

John slowly opened his eyes. He could still feel his head was throbbing. But in the next moment all his pain were forgotten as his gaze fell on the woman, on whose arms he lay. She was looking at him with concern in her eyes. He knew those blue eyes, that pale face, those raven hair, those perfect nose, those lips which he always longed to kiss. The name automatically came out of his mouth, "Miri?"

He saw her eyes widen in surprise.

 _ **Note: I didn't spectate the fight in details. Didn't feel it was necessary (And I felt lazy). So, I skipped it. And well finally he recognizes her. I feel Mordin could do anything, he is a genius. So I made him help John, recover his memory. Hope you guys are happy now and stop being angry with me. LOL! Just joking. Anyways let me know what you guys think by reviews or PM's.**_


	39. Still the same

**FEW MINUTES LATER IN THE NORMANDY COMM ROOM**

The door of the room chimed open and Jacob entered the room followed by Dr. Mordin Solus.

"Welcome to the Normandy, Professor. It's an honor to have you onboard." Jacob warmly welcomed Mordin.

"Yes. Very exciting. Cerberus working with aliens. Unexpected. Illusive Man branching out, maybe? Not so human-centric?" Mordin concluded quickly.

"You are very well informed, Professor." John said.

"Salarian governments well connected. Espionage experts. Had top level clearance once. Retired now. Still hear things." Mordin replied. "Informed of name only. No knowledge of man behind it. And alien reputation listed as problematic." He added.

John decided to get to the point. "The Collectors have been abducting colonists from the fringes of the Terminus Systems. No distress signals are sent out. No signs of attack."

"There is virtually no evidence that anything unusual happened at all….. except that every man, woman, and child is gone." Jacob added.

"Gas, maybe? No. Spreads too slowly. Airborne virus. No. Slower than gas. Drugged water supply? No. Effects not simultaneous." Mordin started guessing.

"You don't have to sit there and guess. We collected samples from one of the colonies. I'd like you to analyze them and figure out how the Collector did this." John intervened Mordin's thoughts.

"Yes. Of course. Analyze the samples. Going to need a lab." Mordin agreed quickly.

" _There is a fully equipped lab on combat deck, Professor Solus. If you find anything lacking, please place a requisition order."_ EDI's voice was heard.

Mordin was startled at EDI"s sudden interruption. He looked around the room looking for the source of the voice. "Who's that? Pilot? No. Synthesized voice. Simulated emotional inflections. Could it be…..no. Maybe. Have to ask." He murmured to himself. Then he looked at John. "Is that an AI?"

John nodded. "This ship is equipped with an artificial intelligence."

"An AI on board? Non-human crew members? Cerberus more desperate than I thought." Mordin said.

"The Collectors have taken tens of thousands of colonists. We'll do whatever we have to do to find and stop them." Jacob said.

"Yes. Of course. Can't risk being captured like colonists. Need to identify, neutralize technology. Need samples. Which way to the lab?" Mordin asked with excitement in his tone.

"Follow me, Professor." Jacob offered.

John wanted to thank Mordin for curing his amnesia. He is grateful to the salarian scientist. But he is in doubt now whether remembering everything now is good for him or bad. Maybe it was better, if he didn't remember anything…. Anything about _her._

 **COMMANDER'S CABIN, 10 MINUTES LATER**

John Shepard was on his bed in the Commander's cabin, staring blankly at the wall of the cabin. The last few hours have changed his life completely. Where there was grief and depression, now they are replaced by excitement, happiness and also a fear. Because…. He found _her_ at last. There were million questions running through his mind. His first anxiousness is to know whether she still feels the same about him, or has she found someone else. He won't be able to blame her if she did. They were separated for so long that it would be natural for her to move on…. With someone like Jacob. This is the cause of his fear. It is as if one of his worst nightmares are coming true. He had noticed the slight tension between Jacob and her from the beginning and he tried to ignore it. But he couldn't. Even when he didn't remembered her, he still felt jealous. Yes, he have to admit that he was jealous. A lot. The thought of her being with someone else shattered his heart. Completely.

' _I should be happy for her, shouldn't I?'_ He asked himself. If she is happy with Jacob then he won't interfere ever. He will act as her friend and her commanding officer, no matter how hard it will be. He will try to live on seeing her happy.

' _That's what I always wanted, didn't I?_ ' He thought. ' _Then why it is so hard for me to accept?_ '

Then his heart answered to him. ' _Because you can't live without her, you idiot!_ '

No. No. Absolutely not. He will never interfere in their life. He cannot cause her grief, ever. Even if it costs his happiness. Even if he survive after seeing her giving her heart to another man, he will most definitely be killed if he cause her pain or heartache. He could never tolerate to see her in tears.

Then he realized that he is coming to conclusions without even talking to her, without knowing the truth. Maybe there is still hope that she still loves him. He saw that in her expression. He saw the expression of utter happiness and relief in her face when she realized that he remembered her.

Aside from his personal feelings he wanted to know why she is with Cerberus. He knows that there is a reason behind her joining Cerberus. Still…. Why this particular organization? With her intelligence and personality she could have landed herself anywhere.

There are a lot of things he wanted to talk about. But everything must wait. First they need to get Archangael out from Omega. Aria informed that the mercenaries are preparing an infiltration. Archangael is giving them a hard time but he wouldn't last much longer alone.

' _We must get him out from there._ ' He thought and started to stand up but his legs gave away from the dizziness he was feeling for some time. But before, he could hit the ground, a pair of soft, feminine, yet strong hands grabbed him from behind and prevented his fall.

"John… are you okay?" His savior asked him.

Without looking at his savior, John realized who it was. She has come. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't heard her come in. He turned his head and his blue eyes met another pair of blue ones.

'Oh! How much he missed looking at those gorgeous eyes. He always lost himself by simply looking in her eyes.' He thought.

"John…. You okay?" Miranda asked again when he didn't answer her.

At last he nodded and she let him go. He stepped back from her and sat down at the edge of his bed. Miranda noticed that he was trying not to look at her. She became confused.

' _Is he trying to avoid me?_ ' She thought.

She slowly sat down beside him and placed her fingers under his chin. She tried to move his face towards her but he resisted. Slowly he gave in and let her turn his face towards her. What she saw next, surprised her fully. There were unshed tears in John Shepard's eyes.

"John…. What…." She tried to say but was interrupted when he embraced her fiercely and hid his face against her chest. She could feel his body shaking with his sobs and her suit was getting soaked by his tears. Seeing him in so much pain clenched her heart. She couldn't prevent herself from crying too, as silent tears fell from her eyes. She put her arms around his toned body in a protective manner.

"Miri…Miri… my Miri…" He murmured against her chest while sobbing.

Despite the pain she was feeling in her heart, she smiled hearing his words. "Yes. I am yours, John Shepard. Only yours…." She whispered.

At her confession he finally looked up but still didn't let her go. "You are?" He murmured.

"I am what?" She asked confused while rubbing away her tears.

"Mine?" He whispered, unsure of himself.

Miranda was about to answer immediately but she realized what he was talking about. He was unsure and was asking whether she still loves him or not. It was her turn to smile. He didn't change a bit. He always thought she is too good for him and he still held that thought.

"Yes. I am yours, John. I always was and always will be." She replied. Her answer caused a smile to appear on his face. A genuine smile. "And you are mine, John Shepard." She added.

He chuckled at her answer.

"What's so funny?" She asked with a frown on her face.

"You are so possessive, Miri." John answered, still smiling.

"Oh! Now I am possessive? Who was murmuring 'My Miri' a moment ago? And I have watched every girl you met tried to put their claws on you. Besides you know that I don't share my property." She complained.

He shrugged. "Well you got me there. I was a bit…. Jealous." He confessed.

"A little? I don't think so John Shepard. I think you were jealous of Jacob." She pointed out.

' _Damn! How did she even…._ ' He thought.

"You are wondering how did I know, isn't it?" Miranda asked smiling mischievously.

He nodded as the tip of his tears turned red from the embarrassment.

"Well you must know this John that I know you better than you know yourself. So stop thinking." She said.

"Well it seems you are right, as always." He said.

"When am I not?" She smirked.

"You are evil." He said.

"But you still love me." She said.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I love you Miranda Lawson. More than anything else." He said.

She smiled and leaned towards him for a kiss. Slowly their lips met in a slow kiss. But soon it rather turned out to be a heated and passionate kiss, as they kissed each other senseless and their tongue battled for dominance inside their mouth. After a full minute their lips separated when they needed air to breathe.

Miranda quickly grabbed his face again and gave him a toe curling kiss which made his entire body shiver with desire. "I love you too, John." She murmured against his lips and then placed her head on his shoulder embracing him tightly. In return he also held her tightly against his body.

"You should lie down." Miranda murmured after a while.

"No. I can't afford to do that. We need to get….." He was interrupted by her finger on his lips.

"Archangael can wait. You can't go there like this. Besides EDI have informed me that the Blue Suns will wait for another three hours to attack Archangael. So lie down." She almost ordered him.

He smiled hearing her commanding tone. "Who is the Commander here?" He joked.

"For the mission you are but when it comes to your well-being, I am the Commander here. Get that straight in your brain John Shepard." She poked his head playfully with her finger.

"It seems I have no choice." He sighed and lay down on the bed. She crawled up to him and lay down beside him, placing her head on his shoulder.

"So…. Tell me John… how did you became a Shepard?" She asked.

"Well it's a long story….." He started to explain what happened when he left her. For entire time he talked she listened to him without any interruption. "And you know when we were trying to stop Saren, Petrovich lured me into his trap. I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for Alicia. And after he got arrested some mysterious person murdered him in his cell." John said.

"He deserved a fate, far worse than death." Miranda replied angrily.

"Yeah. Probably." He murmured while playing with her raven hair.

"So all this time you ran up to any girl who made you feel different. You know what I am talking about." She asked hesitantly.

"No not that. But there was one who made me feel like….." John said.

"Feel like what?" She asked.

"It's like whenever I was near her or fought with her side by side, she made me feel as if I was with you Miri. I don't know why." John answered truthfully.

"Who was this woman?" Miranda asked trying to suppress her jealousy.

"She was my team-mate in the old Normandy. But she disappeared mysteriously after the battle with Saren. Her name was Alicia." John said.

Instantly all of Miranda's jealousy were gone by his confession. Even he didn't recognize her he sensed her presence. This explains why he often came down to the hanger to talk with her and the reason behind his transformations. His heart knew that Alicia was her, Miranda Lawson, the woman he loves. She cannot hide this from him anymore. She must let him know now because she knew he was feeling guilty that he felt like that about a woman who wasn't her.

"John I have to confess something to you." She said softly.

"What is it Miri?" He asked looking at her.

"The woman named Alicia you met back there, she was…." Miranda stopped because she was unsure how he will take it. What if he didn't trust her anymore? No she will not dwell with insecurity. She will say it. Now.

"What about her?" John asked.

"There is no Alicia, John." She said.

"What are you talking about? She is real. We…" He started to argue but she stopped him.

"Listen to me, John. Alicia doesn't exist anymore. Her existence was temporary." She explained.

"What…." He started to speak but again interrupted by Miranda.

"Well, you see she didn't exist anymore because she was me. It was me John. Alicia was me. I was there with you." She finally confessed.

"What?!" He said. His eyes widened in disbelief for a moment. But only for a moment. Then he shook his head smiling.

"John….?" Miranda whispered.

He looked at her and smiled again. "Back then, my mind didn't knew Alicia was you, but my heart knew it. You know I sensed your presence but couldn't find you. Now this explains everything. Thank you for telling me this, Miri."

"You are not angry?" Miranda asked softly.

"Angry? No. Why would I be angry? But there is something I want to ask you." John said.

"Yes?" Miranda said.

"Why Cerberus?" He asked.

"Well, John you knew about my father, John. When you were gone his men captured me and brought me back to him. And….." She proceeded to tell him and slowly explained everything to him. His eyes flashed with dark energy when she mentioned how her father tortured her, day after day. When she was finished he looked a little sad.

"So you have a sister?" John asked with a small smile.

"Yeah. Her name is Oriana." John said.

"She know everything?"

"Yes, she knows. Once she was old enough I explained everything to her. She is very important to me, John." She said.

"I understand, Miri. She is your only sibling."

"When you died, I only lived on because of her. I needed to protect her from my father's grasps. That's what it kept me going. But when Illusive Man proposed to me to revive you, I thought it was impossible. But I had to get you back. I had to." She choked.

"Come here." John said softly opening his arms. She instantly crawled in his embrace where she felt safe, peace and happiness.

"Promise me." Miranda said.

"What Miri?" John said.

"Promise that you won't die again. Promise me! Damn it!" She almost ordered him.

John smiled sadly and kissed her forehead. He wanted to promise her that he won't leave her ever. But he can't. With the suicide mission in hand, anything can happen, anytime. "You know I can't promise you that." He murmured in her hair.

She didn't respond immediately. But after few seconds she nodded her head lightly. "I know….. You… you are an ass."

 _ **Note: Well here it is. This is short. But I decided to keep this part in a separate chapter. Hope you people like it. Lastly, as always, please PREVIEW!**_ __


	40. Archangel

Bullets flew past the window, as the mercenary named Archangel swiftly moved away from the opening and hid himself beside the window. This is his last standpoint, as the enemies are continuously trying to barge inside the building and take him down. So far he has managed to keep them at bay, but for how long he can keep on doing the same he doesn't know. Jaroth, the leader of one of the mercenary groups is becoming quite desperate to take him down. He slightly peeked from his cover, watching the enemy movements through his sniper scope. He observed enemy scouts ahead, trying to get intel on his movements. Purposefully, he didn't showed himself, and didn't even shot the enemy troops as they slowly came behind from cover and started moving forward towards his position. He waited for them to move far away from their cover and he saw that they won't be able to get back to their cover from his attack, he swiftly took out the enemy scouts one by one without giving them any opportunity to run back behind cover. Satisfied he reloaded his rifle and began searching for more enemies through his rifle scope. He could see more mercenary troops are gathering together, preparing for an all-out attack.

"Shit!" He cursed under his breath. It was becoming too much for him to handle alone. As he realized that things are getting out of his hands, he spotted four humans behind the mercenary groups, slowly creeping forward. The group consisted of three human males and one human female. One of the males is dark skinned and very well-built and looked like a marine. The second male looked old and by his armor he could tell that he is a mercenary. The female wore no armor, instead she wore a white skin tight-suit and through his scope he could also see that she has a Hornet SMG in her hand. After watching her, he felt as if he had seen her before somewhere, but he couldn't put his finger on, where and when. But when he saw the final member of the group, the human male in black armor, he almost dropped his rifle in shock.

 _How is this possible? He… he was dead. He died, two years ago and it was his greatest regret that he couldn't do anything to save him. Is it really him?_

On second thought, he again looked carefully through his scope and after watching that man, he had to believe that it's him, _back from the dead,_ somehow.

 _That face, those determined expression in those eyes, the way he moves. Each and every action of the man led Archangel to believe that he is really the same man whom he presumed to be dead, until now._

"Shepard…." Archangel whispered the name. "How did you find me here of all places?" He whispered.

 **30 MINUTES AGO, IN THE AFTERLIFE CLUB OF OMEGA**

Commander Shepard, with his teammates approached the mercenary who seemed to be recruiting people for the fight against Archangel. He stopped right at the front of the recruiter, while Miranda came and stand beside him, folding her arms under her breasts.

"I heard you're recruiting." John said to the recruiter. His words sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Hmm. Why don't you step inside?" The recruiter said, indicating a door behind him.

They stepped inside and there was another recruiter there. He was tapping on a console continuously, entering the names of the people who are adding their names for the mission. When John approached him, the recruiter asked his name and whether anyone else will be joining in the fight against Archangel. After John informed the recruiter that he himself, Miranda, Zaeed and Jacob will be joining the fight against Archangel, he registered their names in his computer.

"You four look like you could do some damage. Looking for a good fight?" The recruiter asked.

"Sure, if this is the place to go after Archangel." John answered.

"This is the place." The batarian recruiter confirmed. "Standard fee is 500 credits each. You get paid when job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You will need your own weapons and armor…. Looks like you've got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period….. Any questions?" He added.

"Where's the attack taking place?"

"Archangel's base of operations. He's been hiding right under our noses. I can't tell you exactly where you're going, but we'll get you there."

"What do we do once we're there? How do we get to Archangel?"

"The mercs will tell you when you get there. Last I heard they were putting the freelancers into scouting groups, they attack in waves to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses."

"So we're just fodder for his bullets?"

"If you don't like it, don't sign up. But if you do your job right, it's easy credits. Besides what are the odds he can kill all of you?"

John didn't bother to answer, but Miranda threw a curt reply at the batarian as she turned back to leave. "None."

"Where do we go?" Jacob asked.

"Just head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there." The batarian answered eyeing Miranda angrily.

The four of them were about to leave, but John stopped when he saw a boy, no older than nineteen entered the recruitment area.

"Hey, is this where I sign up?" The boy asked the Blue Suns recruiter.

"You look a little young to be freelancing as a merc." John commented from behind.

"I'm old enough." The boy argued. "I grew up on Omega. I know how to use a gun." He added.

"Yeah. You know enough to get yourself killed." Zaeed pointed out.

The boy angrily turned around to face the four of them. "I can handle myself." He spat angrily. "I just spent 50 credits on this pistol, and I wanna use it!" He said looking towards the pistol in his hand.

John realized enough is enough. He grabbed the kid by his collar and pulled himself towards him. "Get your money back." He ordered coldly. Then he snatched the gun away from the kid's hand and jammed it after removing the thermal clip from it. Then he handed the gun back to the kid.

"Hey! What do you….." The boy asked in surprise.

"Trust me, kid. You'll thank me later." John said while leaving the area.

 **TRANSPORT DEPOT, OMEGA, A FEW MINUTES LATER**

A Blue Sun trooper was waiting for them at the depot.

"I'm on the mission." John said addressing the trooper.

"I hope you're ready. Archangel been annihilating you freelancers." The Blue Sun trooper said.

"Ready when you are."

"Get in."

For the next few minutes they travelled in a sky-car and arrived at their destination.

"It's about time they sent me someone who looks like they can actually fight. They told you what we're up against?"

"Do tell." John urged the batarian trooper to explain.

"Archangel's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard over there." The trooper said indicating towards the far end of the area. "He's got superior position and the only way in is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground. But he's getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough."

"You guys have a plan?" John asked.

"A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in."

"And that's where we come in?"

"Exactly. You'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him."

"That's goddamn suicide." Zaeed protested.

"Pretty much. But you look like you can handle it. Head up to the boulevard and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you when to go in."

"Then, I better go and find Sergeant Cathka."

"Watch yourself on the boulevard. Archangel's killing dozens out there already."

"In's gonna be easy. Out's gonna be a bitch." Zaeed said.

"Let's find him first. Then we'll figure out how to get back." John said.

"The Commander is right. Archangel doesn't have much time left." Jacob said.

"Looks like the mercs are throwing on him everything they has. He really must have pissed them off." Miranda said.  
"Then let's make sure we get to him first." John said.

"Yes, Commander." Miranda and Jacob replied in unison. Zaeed merely nodded.

As they walked towards the building, EDI's voice appeared in their comm, " _Shepard, I've scanned the area, but I am unable to plot any other paths to Archangel._ "

"Guess we're going with the mercs." John said looking at his team. They nodded in agreement.

" _The heavy mechs and gunship possess considerable firepower. Weakening them before leaving will improve your chances._ " EDI suggested.

"Thank you, EDI." John said.

" _No need, Commander. I am programmed to assist you in your mission_." EDI replied.

John suddenly halted as his eyes fell on the figure of Archangel at the distance. He was shooting mercs after mercs from his vantage point and he had to admit that from his position, he really has more advantage. It was looking like he is still holding on.

"He probably saw us." John said to Miranda.

"Yes. We must let him know that we are here to get him out from here." Miranda said.

"True. But we have to wait for it. For now, let's go and find out what the mercenary groups are planning for our friend." John said.

They saw a doorway to their right and stepped inside. There were several members of the three mercenary groups resting there or making plans on how to take down Archangel. Among them a salarian mercenary drew John's attention. He seemed to be the leader of the Eclipse. John can tell that from the design of his armor.

"You lead the Eclipse?" John asked the salarian.

"You figure that out by yourself?" The salarian mocked. When he saw the human wasn't affected by his mocking, he cleared his throat and spoke seriously, "I'm Jaroth. I run Omega's Eclipse. What do you need, freelancer?"

"I heard the infiltration team is the main focus of the attack."

"Tarak's plan, not mine. He doesn't want to lose any more men, so he's throwing you freelancers at the problem. Archangel's not going anywhere, so I suppose there's no harm in trying. Who knows…. Maybe you'll get lucky." Jaroth explained.

"So you're just going to hide here while the freelancers get killed?" John asked.

"Precisely. You're paid to be a distraction. Nothing more. Whether you survive or not is up to you." Jaroth answered in such a tone that suggested that he is done talking and they should leave. The four of them kept on going forward, Jacob and Zaeed at the front talking about guns while John and Miranda were walking behind them silently. John wanted to get to Archangel as quickly as possible, so he wanted to see Sergeant Cathka and get the permission to attack Archangel. But he stopped when he felt Miranda's hand in his. When he looked at her questioningly, she pointed him towards her left. To her left there was a store room and in there sat a Krogan with his two vorcha bodyguards. John nodded at her and slowly approached the krogan. Seeing John there, the krogan looked up towards him.

"You're in the wrong place, freelancer." The krogan said in a deep voice.

"You are the Blood Pack leader?" John asked.

"Name's Garm. That's all you need to know." The krogan said. "I'm stuck here till you freelancers are done playing war. Ask your questions and go."

"Why are the Blood Pack on Omega?"

"We're the muscle on this bloody station. You want protection or want someone removed, talk to us. The Blood Pack are everywhere on Omega. Everybody loves us, and everybody hates us."

"I'm guessing Archangel mostly just hates you."

"He's just an uptight asshole, I don't really care what he thinks. But he's costing me men and making me work for my money. I'll be the one to take him out today… you watch. I'm the only one who's fought him one-on-one." He answered. "Now you may go." He added.

Knowing it was their queue to leave, they left the krogan warlord alone and moved forward to find Sergeant Cathka. John saw a door to his left and it was unlocked luckily. Out of curiosity he opened the door. Inside he found some resources and a heavy-mech. Without a word, Miranda went past him and started to work on the console in front of the mech. No one said anything to her, but she felt the question coming towards her.

"I have switched the mech's target. If they turn it on, it will be hostile to themselves." She said as she turned back towards the others to leave.

"That's brilliant." John stared at Miranda with amazement in his eyes.

Miranda noticed how he is staring at her and she could feel that her face is getting hotter under his intense stare. She can't afford to blush like a teenage girl in front of them, since John is not alone. She have to maintain her ice-cold persona and she has a reputation to keep for goodness sake. For years she had trained herself not to get emotional in front of other people and she did that job perfectly which earned her the titles of 'Ice Queen', 'Heartless Bitch'. But it is damn impossible for her to keep her emotions in check, whenever he stares at her with those blue eyes of his, which are always filled with adoration, respect and most of all love for her, just for her alone. She knew he loves him for who she is. He doesn't love her because of her physical beauty, he told that to her a long time ago. And because of his pure heart, intent and selflessness – which are very few of the good qualities he possesses, she also couldn't help herself but fell in love with him when she stayed with him.

"We should move on, Archangel doesn't have much time left." She reminded him as he was still staring at her in awe.

Jacob and Zaeed went through the door to their right but as she came near John, he grabbed her hand to stop her. She looked at him questioningly.

"How did you do it?" He asked her.

"Do what?" She asked confused.

"You always thought of everything. This particular trait of you haven't changed a bit." He revealed.

Miranda let out a full smile but her smile slowly turned into an evil smirk. She came closer to him and placed her hands on his chest gently. She placed her mouth near his ear and smiled evilly again.

"There are certain things that have changed and maybe you will be lucky enough to see them later, if you behave like a good boy." She whispered seductively in his ears. She felt his heart rate suddenly increased tenfold under her palms and his breathing almost stopped. He let out an almost inaudible groan after hearing her comment. She pulled back slightly to look in his eyes and what she saw made her smirk again. His eyes were wide like saucers and he was staring at her with disbelief in his eyes. She could also see his ears has turned pink from embarrassment. She winked at him and went after Zaeed and Jacob with an extra sway of her hips.

John stared at her as she went through the door. Suddenly he was feeling that his pants are feeling very tight and he was sweating heavily.

' _Where did she learn to do this?'_ He thought. He realized that she has become one hell of a tease. He shook his head to clear his lustful thoughts about her and to regain his composure, so he could get the mission done.

' _She will be the death of me for sure.'_ He thought fondly as he stepped behind his teammates.

When he reached there he saw Zaeed talking to a mercenary officer named Tarak, while Miranda and Jacob were talking among themselves. There were other freelancers there for the mission and all of them were staring at Miranda, lustfully. He gritted his teeth in anger, but didn't say anything. Zaeed seem to know the mercenary officer and was asking the mercenary some questions about the mission, but he said that he is too busy to talk with them, so he directed one his mercenary to answer their questions.

"Jentha, talk to these guys. Answer whatever questions they have." Tarak ordered a female mercenary.

"Good thing you know him. Tarak hates having to hire freelancers – he doesn't trust anyone outside the Blue Suns. Anyways, what can I do for you?" Jentha said, while scanning John from head to toe with her eyes.

Miranda noticed it and immediately knew what the woman is thinking inside her head. She decided to intervene. She stepped beside John immediately and looked at Jentha.

"What's Tarak going to do if the infiltration team fails?" She asked Jentha.

"To start, he'll shoot any freelancers that are still alive but he may made some exceptions on my request." Jentha answered looking at John. "After that he'll let Eclipse and the Blood Pack take their shots. I suggested we work together, but he doesn't trust the other groups."

"What if Archangel survives all the attacks? Then you Suns are on your own." John asked.

"That's why Tarak wants that gunship fixed so badly. But it won't come to that. Archangel's good, but he can't hold out that long. He's already been in there over a day." She said, indicating the damaged gunship to her left.

"What can you tell me about Archangel?"

"He's a turian vigilante who thinks killing mercs is a fun way to pass the time. Other than that, he's a mystery. He shows up, usually at the worst possible time, and screws with our work." She stopped briefly. "He can't die soon enough, if you ask me." She added bitterly.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"He went after Tarak, at his home. Almost got him. Tarak's been on edge ever since, and he's making my life a living hell." She scowled. "Second guesses every damn thing I do. Getting the other merc bands to help us show you how desperate he is. They're as bad as Archangel."

"We should go and talk with Sergeant Cathka." John said.

"He is over there, trying to repair the gunship." Jentha indicated.

When the four of them approached Cathka, he turned around from the gunship to face them. "Ah… you must be the group Salkie mentioned. You're just in time."

"Were you waiting for us?"

"The infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him." Cathka said. "Got any questions? This may be your last chance."

"Are you leading the assault?"

"Ha! Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of…" He paused as his radio came alive. " _Target in sight. We're a go._ "

"Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him. But that means no more waiting for me." He then turned back towards the gunship and started to work. "Gotta get her back to a hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her again. Now…. Where did I put that omni-tool?" He muttered to himself.

"Archangel doesn't have much time left." Miranda said.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Zaeed muttered.

"Come on. We'll give these guys a surprise of our own." John said flexing his fingers.

The freelancers have already started to move forward towards the building, so the four of them didn't waste any time and started firing on their back. They started to scream among themselves at the sudden attack.

"They're with Archangel!" One of them screamed. But his scream died immediately as a headshot from Zaeed dropped him on the ground. Rest of the freelancers also didn't stand a chance against the four of them. They all lay dead within a minute. They went inside the building and climbed upstairs. John saw that the door of the room from where Archangel was shooting was left open for them.

"Archangel…" John called after they entered the room. The mercenary was busy aiming his sniper outside. He signaled John to wait. For few seconds he didn't move, then suddenly he pulled the trigger of his gun. He pulled the sniper back and walked towards the sofa and sat down on its edge while taking off his helmet. John's eyes widened when he saw the face of the turian.

"Garrus?" John said in disbelief.

"John….. I thought you were dead." Garrus said.

John didn't waste any time. He took long steps and pulled Garrus in a brotherly hug. To everyone's surprise in the room, except Miranda, the turian also hugged him back.

"I have missed you Garrus." John said after pulling back.

"And I thought you were dead, my brother." Garrus said, his voice slightly cracking.

"I did die but Cerberus brought me back to life." John said.

At his revelation Garrus looked surprised. "Cerberus?"

"Yes. Them." John confirmed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice."

"You okay?"

"Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face or may I say faces…." Garrus said looking at Miranda. "Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own."

"What are you doing on Omega?"

"I got fed up with all the bureaucratic on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own. At least it's not hard to find criminals here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot. Besides after your death the Council completely ignored your reports about the Reapers. That made me mad. Even after what you did for them, they still ignored your warnings. It was an insult to you and I cannot work for anyone who insults my brother." Garrus answered.

At Garrus' revelation John's heart warmed. Garrus is truly his brother even though they are not of the same flesh and blood and of different species. Miranda also let out a small smile. When she helped them on the mission against Saren, she realized that Garrus really cares for John and she was happy that someone besides her was there for him.

"That means a lot to me Garrus." John said. "But how'd you manage to piss off every major merc organization in the Terminus Systems?"

"It wasn't easy. I really had to work at it. I am amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me." Garrus shrugged.

"But why the name 'Archangel'?"

"It's just a name the locals gave me. For all my good deeds. I don't mind it, but please…. It's just 'Garrus' to you."

"Well, we got here, but I don't think getting out will be easy."

"No, it won't. That bridge has saved my life….. Funneling all those witless idiots into scope. But it works both ways. They will slaughter us if we try to get out that way." Garrus said.

"So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?" Miranda asked.

"It's not all that bad. This place has held them off so far and with the four of you….. I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defenses, and take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan." Garrus suggested.

"If we fight as a team, we'll hold them off." John agreed.

"You're right. Their numbers won't help them in here, anyway. And for that we need some supplies. I am almost out of ammo. The room at the other end of the corridor is full of supplies. We should get them." Garrus said.

"Jacob, Zaeed." John said. They nodded and left.

When the two of them left, Garrus looked at John. "Why did Cerberus saved your life?"

"They brought me back for a purpose- Stop the Collectors." John said.

"Collectors?"

"They are an unknown species and are behind the disappearances of hundreds of human colonies. Only humans. We suspect they are working for the Reapers." John explained.

"Why only human?"

"We don't know that. We didn't even encounter them. They have some tiny mechanical insects which inserts toxins inside the veins causing everyone to freeze and no armor can hold them off. I am gathering a team to stop and would like you to help me as always."

"Of course, I would help you. But it seems we are all defenseless against them. How do you plan to stand against them?"

"Mordin is already working on it."

"Who's Mordin?"

"A brilliant salarian scientist. He is on the Normandy now working on it."

"Normandy? Cerberus built a Normandy?"

"Yes. They did."

"They seemed to have spent a lot of credits on you and for this mission." Garrus indicated.

"It is Cerberus' goal to protect humanity against all threats." Miranda said.

Garrus turned towards her and then looked at John.

"She is the sole reason I am alive, Garrus. It's her who brought me back."

"Then I should thank you for that. Can I ask you something?" Garrus asked Miranda. "Have we met before?" Garrus asked when she nodded.

"No…. but yes." She answered.

"What…" Garrus said confused.

"Garrus you remember Alicia?" John intervened.

"Yeah, I remember her. What about her?"

"There was no Alicia, Garrus. It was her. She helped us, disguised."

"What? Disguised? Whoa, I knew something was strange about her….. I told Liara and Tali." He paused. "And you are?" Garrus asked.

"I am Miranda Lawson. XO of the Normandy and second in command after John." She said.

"Miranda…" Garrus eyes lit with recognition. He looked at John for confirmation who nodded at him with a small smile. Garrus smiled back at him, happy that John has found her at last. But what Miranda did next, surprised both Garrus and John. She came near Garrus and hugged the big turian.

"Thank you for looking after him, when I couldn't. You really are his brother Garrus." She murmured. Garrus was surprised initially at her sudden behavior but when he regained his composure he hugged her back.

"It was no big deal. He would've done the same for me." Garrus said.

"And I would too, for you Garrus." Miranda said.

"I know." Garrus said. He was happy about the fact that the woman whom his brother chose is really exceptional. No wonder he missed her that much. Miranda let Garrus go and stepped back just before Zaeed and Jacob returned.

"Let's see what they are up to…. Hmm…. Looks like they know their infiltration team failed." He said looking through the scope of his sniper. "Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think."

John took the sniper from him and saw several small mechs and mercs heading their way. "That looks like a lot more than scouts." Then he blasted the head of a mech with the sniper. "One less to worry about." He said handing the sniper back to Garrus.

"Show off!" Garrus smirked. John smirked back. "We better get ready. I'll stay up here. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point. You can do what you do best. Just like old times, John."

Garrus fired a shot and took down one of the mercs. Zaeed blasted another one with a concussive shot. Jacob used his biotics to pull two of the mercs in the air and Miranda just took them out with her SMG. Heavy firing started between the two sides. But it seemed the numbers of mercs were endless. Every time they took down one, two takes his place but they weren't about to give up. They kept on killing mercs after mercs. Bullets, tech attacks, biotics flew straight at the mercs, overwhelming them. At one time they stopped their assault. But then a heavy mech got dropped in the middle of the bridge.

"Shit! This will be one tough son of a bitch to kill." Garrus said.

"Don't worry, Garrus. Just see what happens next." John said.

Keeping the heavy mech in front of them the mercs started to come again. Suddenly the mech turned back towards the mercs and started to fire on them, tearing them apart.

"Looks like someone tampered the mech." Garrus said.

"You should thank Miranda for that." John said while firing his revenant machine gun on the mercs.

Garrus showed a thumbs up to Miranda, at which she nodded and then turned away to fire on the mercs. Next a group of engineers appeared and they finally took the mech down. They had improved shield and tech powers which gave them advantage against the mech. Garrus and Miranda concentrated on taking down the shields of the engineers while the rest of them took the engineers down. With them, their leader Jaroth also got killed.

When they stopped coming for good the five of them sat down on the sofa. "I wonder where they got so many men." Garrus said.

"Freelancers, hired to distract you." John said.

"They didn't know what they got themselves into." Garrus said.

"Yeah. Too bad, they had to die. They were just hired. They weren't any criminals." John said. Miranda placed a hand on his shoulder telling him silently that there was nothing they could do about it. He nodded and sighed.

Suddenly, the whole building shook. "What the hell was that?" Miranda said.

"Damn it. They've breached the lower level." Garrus cursed while checking his omni-tool. "Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there, John. I'll keep the bridge clear."

"Let's split up. I will keep two members of my team here." John said.

"You sure? Who knows what you'll find down there." Garrus protested.

"I am sure. Miranda, Jacob. Keep him alive." John ordered but when he looked at her eyes, she realized that it was not an order but a request. He is trusting her to keep Garrus alive and she will keep his trust. She nodded at him in confirmation while reloading her SMG.

"Thanks John. You better get going." Garrus said.

"How do we get to the basement?"

"Go down a level – the basement door is on the west side of the main room, behind the stairs. I'll radio directions if you need help….. but you've got to get down there quick."

Without waiting a moment longer John went down to the basement with Zaeed at his toes. They found s door shutter in front of them which Garrus told them to close. John quickly pressed the button beside the door and took cover to hold the enemies back, who were trying to come through, until the shutter closes. The first door was no problem. They closed the shutter before the enemies could come through. Garrus instructed them over the radio that there were two more shutters which needed to be closed down as soon as possible. The second door caused the problem as the enemies were already inside there. They had to push them back behind the door and hold them off until the shutter closed down. The third door was also closed by them quickly as there were only vorchas out there trying to get in. They had flamethrower in their hands. Zaeed and John simply killed them by detonating the cylinders of their flamethrowers. When John pressed the switch to close the door of the last shutter, he saw a krogan was coming towards them with several vorchas. Luckily the shutter closed down before the enemies could come through and the two of them needn't face the krogan.

" _Get back here, John. They're coming in through the doors._ " Garrus said in the radio.

"Hold them off, Garrus. We are coming." John responded and ran.

When they came back they saw several Blood Pack mercs were flooding the ground floor. Zaeed tossed a grenade taking out several at once. John killed three vorchas in a row with headshots, not giving them any chance to regenerate. The rest of them were also taken down as they were useless against the skills of John and Zaeed.

"Could use some help over here….." Garrus called them from above. Responding to his call the two of them hurriedly climbed the stairs only to found that Miranda, Garrus and Jacob were trying to hold back two krogans at once. One of the krogans noticed John and Zaeed and immediately charged at them. But the blasts from John's shotguns combined with Zaeed's concussive shots and rapid fire brought the krogan down. But the other one was still up and was trying desperately to get hold of Garrus.

"Garm…." John recognized the krogan immediately.

Garm charged towards Garrus but he was halted by a warp attack from Miranda. He staggered back slightly. He turned towards her in anger and charged.

John saw it in slow motion. He saw that Garm was trying to kill Miranda and suddenly he felt a surge of power inside his body and next second he was gone from Zaeed's side.

"What the….." Zaeed exclaimed in surprise.

Garm saw the human woman who was preventing him for a long time to kill Archangel. He decided to take down the woman first and charged at full speed. He knew that it will take only one blow to kill her. He saw her firing at him but his barrier held the bullets off. He was about to crush her to death but suddenly he stopped, or rather someone had stopped him forcefully. He looked own to saw another human standing in front of him with his hand against his chest preventing him to move an inch. Angrily he tried to grab the human but the human grabbed his hands and broke them with a loud crack. He immediately felt intense pain in his arms but he didn't had to feel the pain much longer as a powerful punch to his jaw snapped his head sideways and broke his neck. He fell on the ground dead.

Zaeed's and Jacob's eyes widened after seeing what John did to the krogan warlord.

"Thanks John. They hardly got through to me. And we took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better. He was one tough son of a bitch." Garrus said.

"You've fought with him before?"

"Yeah, we tangled once. Caught him alone. None of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out. I've never seen a krogan regenerate that fast. He's a freak of nature. He just kept at it until his vorcha showed up. It was close, but I had to let him go. Not this time. Thanks to all of you." Garrus answered.

"Only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out." John suggested.

"I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group but nothing we haven't faced before. Bsides he won't be expecting us to meet him head on…" Garrus had to stop as a gunship appeared near the window.

"Archangel….." Tarak's voice was heard. The gunship began to drop mercs inside the room. Immediately battle begin among them again.

"They're rappelling down the sidewall. Ground floor!" Garrus warned. True to his words there were several mercs coming up through the stairs. The five of them killed them all but Garrus got injured when Tarak started to fire from his gunship inside the room. Garrus slowly crawled behind a crate to protect himself. But it wasn't enough. Tarak saw him there and fired a missile at him. Garrus wasn't hit directly but the blast threw him off against the wall. And then he didn't move.

"Garrus!" John yelled. Miranda had to stop herself from yelling too. She couldn't show her caring side in front of Jacob and Zaeed. John gritted his teeth in anger. He pulled out his grenade launcher and fired it at the gunship. It took three heavy blasts and started to smoke. Dropping the empty grenade launcher he sent a Warp attack towards the gunship. As soon as the biotic attack came in contact with the gunship it blasted apart in pieces. John immediately slid beside Garrus on the ground.

"Garrus! Garrus! Hold on!" He pleaded. Garrus merely looked at him with hazed eyes.

"His wounds are serious. We need to get him to Normandy immediately." Miranda said.

"Joker! Immediate evac at my location!" John said in comm. Then he looked at Garrus whose eyes were now closed. "Hold on, Garrus. We'll get you fixed." He murmured.

 _ **Note: Phew! The chapter turned out to be larger than I expected. Anyways let me know whether you like it or not.**_


	41. Pleasant time

"Get the sedative, quickly!" Doctor Chakwas ordered urgently.

"Pulse rate dropping…. Shit!" A medical assistant cursed.

A figure was watching everything that was going inside the med-bay from outside. Miranda slowly approached from behind and placed her hand gently on the person's shoulder.

"He will be okay, John. Have faith." She murmured.

"I know. He is tough. And I have faith on Doctor Chakwas. She knows what she is doing." John said.

"You go and take some rest. You are standing here for an hour." Miranda requested.

"You haven't rested either." Came his reply.

Miranda smiled slightly at his reply. "I will go and help Dr. Chakwas. You go to your cabin and lie down for a while. Garrus will be okay. Trust me."

"I have faith in you Miri." He said looking at her eyes.

Miranda smiled at her childhood nickname and indicated him to go and take some rest. John knew that she won't let him go until he lay down for a while, so he agreed and retired to his cabin.

 **FEW HOURS LATER, IN THE COMMUNICATIONS ROOM**

"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he looks a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but…" Jacob stopped as the door opened and to his surprise Garrus stepped in.

"John." Garrus greeted.

"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet." Jacob said in amazement.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus asked.

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice." John joked.

Jacob looked at John in surprise. He couldn't believe that the Commander is saying those things to his friend. Then he looked at Garrus and he was surprised again when he saw the turian was laughing. Jacob thought that it would be best to leave the two of them alone. So he left after saluting John.

"Ha-ah!" Garrus moaned in pain. "Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding it together as it is. Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it." Garrus joked. "Oh! Wait! I almost forgot that Miranda has you wrapped around her fingers."

"Miranda will kill me, for sure." John shrugged.

"I was right. You are… what you humans say…. Ah! Yeah! Totally whipped!" Garrus tried hard not to laugh seeing John's facial expression. He glared at him but the pink tinges at the tip of his ears were suggesting that he is really embarrassed.

"Yeah! Yeah!" John rolled his eyes.

"Let's talk about something else. Something more important." Garrus said.

"Yeah, that will be better for me." John deadpanned.

"Jokes apart, but frankly, I'm worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember what they were doing?"

"Right now, they're a necessary evil. I need their resources to get this done." John answered.

"I understand. What about her?" Garrus asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you trust her? I mean is she still the same person whom you knew so many years ago? It's not that I have anything against her, I have grown quite fond of her in this short time. But you know she is a Cerberus also." Garrus said.

"I understand your concerns Garrus. I don't trust Cerberus a bit. But I trust her with my life and heart. When she sees the light she will understand. It will be better not to make her understand things forcefully." John sighed resting his hands on the table in front of him.

"But why did she joined Cerberus of all the organizations?"

"I don't think it is my place to answer that, Garrus. It wouldn't be fair. You should ask her and I am sure she will answer you."

"I don't think so, John. From what I heard and saw she is a very private person and I saw the way she behaves with the crew. Everyone fears her. You are the closest to her, she can tell you anything but not me."

"Trust me, Garrus, she sees you as a trusted friend. And she cares for you too. You know why?" John suggested.

"No. How would I know that?"

"The reason is very simple. You care for me and anyone who cares for me is a friend in her eyes. Well….. except…."

"You don't have to tell. I know. I mean it is obvious. The way the two detested each other on the previous Normandy is the indication. So what is this all about exactly?"

"I told you about the abduction of human colonies by the Collectors. They are an unknown species. We only have minor informations about them. The problem is we are defenseless against them. They use some kind of technology to freeze their enemies and take them away alive without leaving a trace."

"And you thought of anything which can help us against them?"

"So far none. But Mordin is working on it."

"Mordin?"

"A salarian scientist. He is genius. Hopefully we will hear some good news from him."

"Interesting. But why is Cerberus interested so much? I mean they spent millions of credits and resources to bring you back and then build another new Normandy. Top of that they are also funding this mission."

"The Illusive Man claims that he has the humanity's best interest in his heart. But there is something more he wants. I am sure of it."

"You talked with Miranda about this?"

"No. I don't want to. She won't believe it. She respects the Illusive Man. I will wait for her to discover the truth herself."

"That's good. So what is our next step?"

"We are building an unusual team here Garrus. We have already recruited Mordin. Next on the list is Jack."

"Why this new team John? What about our old team? Haven't you heard from any one of them? And who is this Jack?"

"No I haven't heard from anyone except Tali. We met on Freedom's Progress." John sighed. Garrus nodded.

"So how did she take the news? I mean first you appear to be alive after two years and top of that you are working with Cerberus. That must have been quite a shock to her." He said.

"No she didn't take it that well. At least she was happy to see me alive and said that she trusts me." John replied.

"Well, that was expected. Anyways so who is this Jack?"

"We don't have much information about this 'Jack'. But her bio says she is the most powerful human biotic to ever exist. Right now she is held as a prisoner."

"So our mission is to break in and get Jack out?"

"No. Not break in. Apparently Cerberus has made some kind of agreement with the Captain of the Purgatory and they have agreed to free Jack. All we have to do is go and pick her up."

"Sounds simple. But I have a bad feeling about this."

"We will be armed. Miranda, Zaeed and Jacob will come with us. If they try anything we will give them hell."

"Just like old times, John." Garrus said. "You know you don't have to say that she will accompany you. I know that you can't stay away from her." Garrus teased.

"Hey! What do you mean?" John glared at his best friend.

Garrus only chuckled while exiting the room leaving John standing there. "Well, I'm fit for duty whenever you need me John. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries." Garrus said before exiting through the door.

"Damn turian!" John cursed then he smiled. It was good to get Garrus back.

 **FEW MINUTES LATER, DOWN TO CIC**

"How is our newest turian member doing? His injuries looked painful." Kelly asked John as soon as he exited from the elevator.

"He's a soldier. It'll take a lot more than that to keep him down."

"There's something about him. I just want to hold him close and whisper, 'It will be all right'."

"It will be nice of you to do that but Garrus doesn't need anyone to hold him."

"True." Kelly nodded.

"Thanks for your concern, though, Kelly." John gave her a small reassuring smile. She just blushed in return and turned back to do her work.

He went to the cockpit and talked with Joker about their new destination. Joker informed that they will be there within the next 16 hours. When he was talking with Joker he felt his eyelids were becoming heavy and he felt tired. He decided to retire for the day and take a nap. He wanted to see what Miranda was doing but he decided to talk with her later. So he went to his cabin and as soon as his head hit the pillow he went to a deep sleep.

But he didn't get any rest as nightmares begin to haunt him again. That same nightmare where he saw her falling from the edge of a round platform into darkness and he couldn't do anything to save her.

He woke up with a gasp as sweat trickled down his forehead. His whole body is wet now from sweating. He tossed the bed sheet aside and lie down again. He closed his eyes trying to calm his mind and heart but as soon as he closed his eyes he saw her falling into the darkness again.

Frustrated he sat up and hid his face in his hands. How can he get some sleep? With this terrible nightmare haunting his sleep he couldn't even close his eyes for a few minutes. Since he was feeling tired he lied down again but he left his eyes open staring at the ceiling. Then he heard the sound of his cabin door opening and he knew that she has come. He decided that he can't burden her with his nightmares, she already has enough responsibility on her shoulders. So he closed his eyes and remained still.

 **5 MINUTES EARLIER**

Miranda was exhausted from working constantly for 6 hours now. First the mission to get Archangel…. Sorry Garrus out and then her responsibilities as the XO. Now she desperately needs some rest. She stood up from her chair and looked at her bed. She wanted to lie down immediately but she knew that it would be best if she went to his cabin and sleep in his strong protective arms which always made her feel safe.

No don't get her wrong. She is an independent and strong person and can look after herself very well. She doesn't need anyone to protect her but whenever it comes to him she accepts that she needs him and will always need him. She smiled when she thought about the old memories of their childhood. Back then their relationship was platonic…. Wait _you know that's not true Miranda._ It's partly true because even they were in love they were too young to realize that kind of emotion. Shaking her thoughts away she sneaked out from her cabin avoiding any unwanted stares. Most of the crew members have retired to their quarters except those who have rotation duties. But avoiding them was no problem for her. She quietly entered the elevator and selected the top floor. Satisfied, that no one saw her she let the elevator door close and let the elevator take her to him.

As the elevator left with Miranda a shadowy figure stepped out from a corner and watched the elevator door for a few moments. At that moment one of the crew members who had rotation duties arrived there. But the shadowy figure got aware of his presence before he arrived there. The figure quickly left from there and disappeared before anyone could spot him.

 **BACK TO JOHN'S CABIN**

Miranda opened the door to his cabin and entered as quietly as possible. The room was almost dark except the light from the aquarium that illuminated the room partially. And there he was lying on his bed sleeping peacefully. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face she smiled at the thought how peaceful he looks now. Stepping further into the cabin she decided to lie down beside him. Even though her cat-suit is comfortable it was not meant for sleeping comfortably. She frowned. She didn't brought any sleepwear from her cabin and now she have to go back again.

No why would she? She stepped towards his cabinet and opened it. There are plenty of shirts of him that she can wear. Her back was turned to him so she didn't realize that he was watching her every move with curiosity in his eyes. _What is she doing with my clothes?_

But he cannot thought of anything more when he heard the sound of a zipper and saw her getting rid of her cat-suit. His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes bulged, watching her standing there almost naked in front of him. He has never seen so much skin. Even though they loved each other deeply their relationship has never gone to intimate level. He gulped as he felt all his blood going down to a particular area.

Miranda unknown to his gawking was getting rid of her cat-suit to get into one of his large t-shirts. They are big and it will cover enough. If it didn't it wouldn't have been any problem to her. She is not uncomfortable in wearing less clothes in front of him. As she got rid of her cat-suit her enhanced hearing caught the sound of someone's breath hitching. Realization dawned on her immediately. So he was just pretending to be asleep. But why? To see her naked? No. He is not like that kind of a person. The reason must be something else. But he must pay for the stunt he pulled.

An evil smirk appeared on her face as she thought about torturing him….. in a pleasant way. So instead of reaching for his shirt she let her hand roam around her back and reach the clasp of her bra. Slowly and teasingly she unhooked it but didn't let it fall from her shoulders. Surely she heard a gasp next second. She smirked in satisfaction and let the clothing fall to the floor and again she heard another sound but this time she heard an inaudible groan. Stopping herself from laughing out loud she stood there wearing only her panties and her back to him. Slowly and deliberately she took her time reaching for his shirt.

John couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes were almost bulging out from his sockets and if anyone would have accused him of drooling all over the floor he couldn't have denied that accusation.

She…. She is just…. Wow. He thought how the hell he got so lucky to have a woman like her to love him so dearly. Sure he knew she is beautiful, the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes upon but before this moment he has never felt any lust towards her. He closed his eyes and groaned. He wanted to touch her badly but he cannot. With a stifled groan he closed his eyes and tried to control the growing lust in his mind and body.

Hearing his muffled groans and moans, Miranda used all her self-controls not to burst out laughing. She thought enough was enough so she reached for his shirt and put it on which reached down to her thighs. Then she heard an audible sigh of relief from her back. She clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing again. Schooling her expression to normal she turned around and walked towards the bed. She settled underneath the bed sheet beside him and snatched his pillow.

"Stop pretending, John. I know you are not sleeping." She chastised as she snuggled into his warmth.

His eyes shot open at her accusation, which was hundred percent true.

 _Damn how did she know?_

"So did you enjoy seeing me without clothes?" Miranda murmured into his neck.

He gulped again. "Well… ah I didn't mean to…. You know…. I would never….."

This time Miranda couldn't stop herself from giggling uncharacteristically. Hearing her laughing his eyebrows shot up.

 _She did that on purpose?_

"You did that on purpose?" He asked her after slightly pulling away from her so he could see her face.

"Serves you right!" She smirked.

His eyes became round in disbelief. "Why you Vixen!" He said out aloud and begin to tickle her mercilessly.

Sounds of Miranda's laughter filled the room. "Stop….. stop it, John… I…I am warning you." She managed to say between her laughter as he continued his assault.

"You will do what?" Now this time he smiled evilly. He continued to tickle her until she was out of breath from laughing.

Getting her breath under control she looked at him. He was looking at her with mischief in his eyes.

"Why you…" She said and lunged on him suddenly.

He was surprised by her sudden attack and fell down on his back on the bed with her on top of him. "What…" He was about to say something but Miranda silenced him by crashing her lips against his. He was momentarily stunned but soon began to return the kiss eagerly. Miranda's hand begin to roam all over the upper part of his body. His chest, abdomen, shoulders and in return his hands found her waist. He knew she wasn't wearing anything under his shirt so he kept his hands at her waist trying not to get too far. Realizing his hesitation Miranda grabbed both of his hands and placed them on her breasts.

John's eyes bulged larger than ever. But he needed no more encouragement from her as he wandered his hands all over her upper body and of course over the clothes. Even though they are more than ready for the next step they are taking things a little slow. He groaned as she begin to kiss him harder and more passionately pulling him out from his thoughts.

After few more minutes of kissing and caressing they were lying on the bed, snuggling. It was Miranda who spoke first, "Why were you awake?" She softly asked with her face buried in his neck.

"I couldn't sleep." That was all he answered.

"Nightmares?" She asked.

"Yeah." He murmured.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No. But I will tell you when I'm ready."

"Alright. I don't want you to force into anything. Just know that I will always be there to hear."

"I know." He replied with a small smile and pulled her closer.

Surprisingly enough with her in his arms he didn't had anymore nightmares that night as they both slept peacefully.

 **SIX HOURS LATER**

Miranda slightly opened her eyes and looked around her surroundings. She is in his bed and he is still asleep beside her. She smiled gently and untangled herself from his hold. He protested at the sudden loss of warmth but didn't wake up. She placed a light kiss on his forehead and went to the washroom to wash her face and get freshened up. When she exited from the washroom she heard her omni-tool beeping.

She sat down before his computer and connected her omni-tool to it. Sure enough it was a message from her sister Oriana asking her to join in a video chat. She decided to do that. After all the two of them haven't met face to face for more than two years. She opened the video chat and Oriana's face appeared in the screen.

"Hey 'Randa!" Oriana greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Ori. How are you?" Miranda said with a smile. She was pleased to talk with her sister again.

"Everything is fine here. What about you 'Randa? How are you?"

"I'm okay Ori. Don't worry."

Oriana frowned. "Of course I will worry. You are my sister and god knows what you are doing now. You won't even tell me."

"I can't Ori. I am on an important mission. It's classified."

"'Randa you never told me about your work."

"It is better for you not knowing. I don't want you get involved in this."

"Very well. I suppose I can't force you to tell me anything."

"When will you ever learn that?" Miranda smirked at her sister.

Oriana scowled at her. Then her face became serious. "'Randa I don't know how to say this to you. I really don't mean to hurt you. But….."

At her sister's hesitation Miranda became concerned. "What is it Ori?"

"I just heard the rumors that Commander Shepard is alive, 'Randa." Oriana said with concern as she cannot predict how will her sister react to this news. But to her surprise her sister smiled.

"Why are you smiling 'Randa?" Oriana asked with confusion lacing her tone.

"Wait." Miranda said with a hint of smile of her lips. Miranda stood up from her chair and turned the screen around.

"What are you…." Oriana was about to say but her mouth fell open as her eyes fell on the sleeping figure on the bed. Her eyes became wide as she looked towards her sister and then towards John and again back towards her sister. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

"Is that…. Is that him?" Oriana managed to say at last.

Miranda nodded with a smile.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Oriana almost shrieked. Miranda looked at her sister with amusement in her eyes. "Wow! He looks more handsome than on extranet. Wow!"

"Yeah he is handsome." Miranda said absent-mindedly.

Oriana smiled looking at her sister. She is happy for her. "I bet you will have hard time chasing the ladies away from him 'Randa."

Miranda groaned at that. "Don't remind me."

Oriana chuckled. "But how did you find him?"

"It's a long story Oriana. I neither have the time nor the liberty to talk with you about that."

"Oh! Another secret. You and your secrets."

"I'm sorry, Ori. I just….."

"Hey. I am not upset. I just want you to know that you are the best sister anyone could ever have." Oriana said cheerfully.

Miranda smiled at her. "That means a lot to me. Thanks, Ori."

"By the way I won't take any more of your time. You get to your handsome hunk over there." She said chuckling.

"Ori….." Miranda said in a warning glare. But it was futile. Her cold stares works on crews, Cerberus members or other people but not Oriana.

Oriana winked at her and said, "Talk with you later, sis." Then she ended the connection.

Miranda was obviously not comfortable with her sister's teasing but she is used to it. That felt normal to her. She closed the computer and went towards the bed to wake him up. Before she could wake him up she heard a gentle knock on the door.

"John? You there?" It was Garrus.

Miranda unlocked the door for him to enter. "Garrus. Come in."

"I saw he was tired yesterday. So I personally came here to wake him. But you are here so…. Anyways, we have a problem out there." Garrus said.

"I will be there in a minute." Miranda replied. Garrus nodded and left giving her some privacy.


	42. The Psychotic Biotic

"Things are not looking good." Joker mumbled absent minded. He had both of his elbows on his knees and his chin was resting on his palms. His gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him.

" _You are right Mr Moreau. In the last 30 minutes several reinforcements arrived in there._ " EDI appeared beside Joker.

"How many EDI?" Joker asked looking at EDI.

" _Actual number is unknown. At least 200._ " EDI replied.

"Damn. That's not good. Not good." Joker said.

"What's going on Joker?" John arrived with Miranda and Garrus in tow. This caused them few curious glances from the crew but they ignored it.

"Commander! You are here!" It was more of a greeting than a statement. "Well EDI kept watch on this space prison and according to her many reinforcements arrived in the last few minutes."

"Reinforcements for what? Was there a prison break?" John asked.

" _Negative, Commander. The prisoners are all secured and I have found Jack's location._ "

John's brows furrowed. If there was no prison break then why the reinforcements? Something is not right. He turned to EDI. "That was impressive EDI."

" _I always work at my optimal capacity, Commander_." EDI commented and vanished.

"How many reinforcements Joker?" Garrus asked.

"At least 200. According to EDI." Joker replied.

"But why the reinforcements?" Miranda said.

"I think they are for us." Garrus voiced his opinion.

"For us? We aren't going there to fight with them. We just need to get Jack from them. All the credits they demanded has already been credited to them. The Illusive Man himself saw to that." Miranda argued.

"I can't be sure Miranda. But I think Garrus is right. This is looking suspicious." John agreed with Garrus. "Let's talk in the debriefing room. Get Zaeed and Jacob." He added. Miranda nodded and left.

As John and Garrus turned around to left, Joker's voice stopped them. "Don't get killed out there Commander. And you too Garrus."

"I am not planning on dying again Joker." John replied calmly and left the cockpit with Garrus in tow.

 **FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"200 reinforcements? Damn! That does not sounds good." Jacob said.

"But we are not sure that they will betray us." Zaeed said.

"No but it is better to be ready." John said.

"So what is our plan, Commander?" Jacob said looking at John.

"EDI you got a map of the Purgatory?" John asked.

Next second a holo-map of Purgatory appeared in front of them in which the place where Jack is imprisoned is marked.

They all looked at the map carefully.

"There are two ways to get to Jack's cell." John said. Everyone nodded.

"What are you suggesting?" Miranda asked.

"For this mission we need a diversion team." John revealed.

"And…..?" Miranda asked narrowing her eyes.

"Zaeed, Garrus and me will be the diversion team. Miranda and Jacob will come in on my signal with reinforcements." John said. "You two will wait for my signal. Once you get it get Jack out from there. We will try to hold them off. We will get some advantage in that station as they won't be able to flank us. That will give you some time to get Jack off the station."

"Don't you think you will be overwhelmed, Commander?" Miranda sounded almost angry, mostly concerned but she hid it well behind her uncaring mask.

"I don't see any other choice here." Garrus agreed.

" _Perhaps I can be of assistance, Commander._ " EDI's holographic image appeared again.

"Yes EDI?"

In answer EDI marked a spot on the map of the prison ship. " _There's a console from where you can either sabotage all the mechs or turn them against your enemy. It will even the odds._ " She disappeared.

"EDI has a point. Miranda. You and Jacob sneak in to the console and turn those mechs against them. Then free Jack." John said.

"EDI are they aware of our presence?" Miranda asked.

" _Negative, Miss Lawson. Our technology is far more advanced than they have on Purgatory_. _They have no idea we are keeping eyes on their activity._ " EDI answered.

"So they are unaware. It's good." Jacob said.

"So we just barge in with your signal, Commander?" Miranda said.

"Yes." John paused. "Any questions?" John said looking at his team. When no one answered he told them to get ready. Everyone was leaving but John stopped Miranda. "Miranda, wait."

She turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"Tell the Normandy crew to be ready for the assault on my signal." John said.

She nodded and turned to leave. But she stopped as she was about to step past the door. She turned her head around to look at him. "Be careful out there, John." Then she left.

He stared at the place where she was a moment ago. "I will. For you." He murmured quietly.

 **PURGATORY, 20 MINUTES LATER**

"Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly." One of the guards greeted John, Garrus and Zaeed as they stepped inside the prison ship. "As this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed." The guard added.

Garrus and John looked at each other. A silent communication passed between them. "We can't do that." John disagreed.

At that moment a turian guard stepped forward. He seemed to be the officer of the ship. "Everyone stand down. Commander, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard procedure." He introduced himself and let them know his authority. He noticed that his so called _guests_ were not fazed by his rules.

"It is my standard procedure to keep my gun." John retorted back meeting the turian's glare with one of his own.

The turian stayed silent for few moments before replying. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more secure enough to handle three armed guests." He said looking towards his men who nodded and stepped back. Then he turned towards his _guests._ "We're bringing Jack out of cryo. It will take a few more minutes. If you'll follow me to the Outprocessing for the pickup, Commander."

"After you." John said.

As they walked Kuril begin to give description of the Purgatory. "Cellblock Two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self-contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out of the airlocks as an example. The ship is made up of thirty cell blocks identical to this one. We house thousands of criminals. We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice." He paused and turned towards his guests. "Nothing goes wrong here." He added.

"Let's get on with this." John said. He was not slightly interested on things work here but if something goes wrong they at least they get to know something which EDI didn't mention.

A whole place lockdown won't be a pleasant situation for them to get out from here if something goes wrong. He kept the communication with Miranda and others on because she needs to know when he would want them to help is the situation takes them to that position.

"Have you had any escape attempts?" Garrus asked.

"We're in space - and they have nowhere to go, and they know it. But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals. We have many ways to control the population." He paused again and indicated to his left. "Outprocessing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing. I'll catch up with you later…. Shepard."

The trio walked towards the place where Jack will be handed over to them. It was a big empty room with just a table and three chairs. Adding to these there was also an empty cell at the far end of the room.

At that moment they heard Kuril's voice, loud and clear over the comm channel. "My apologies, Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."

"Let me change your mind." John said while pulling out his assault rifle. "In the old fashioned way."

"Activate systems!" Kuril ordered over the comm.

"That son of a bitch….." Zaeed began.

"Has betrayed us." Garrus completed for him. "I suspected this could happen."

At that time few mech and prison guards arrived there and started to fire on them. "Don't kill Shepard! Kill the others. I want him alive!" Kuril ordered over the comm.

"Zaeed! That mech!" John said.

Zaeed unloaded a few rounds of disruptor ammo from his assault rifle on the charging mech to destroy it. Garrus lobbed a grenade at the remaining enemies' feet. The blast killed the guards and damaged the mechs. Rapid fire from the trio's guns took care of them also. They wanted to leave the room but more guards arrived including few mechs.

"We need to get rid of those mechs." Garrus suggested.

"And for that we need some help. Time to call in the cavalry." John said looking at Garrus.

"Give it up Shepard! You can't win this one!" Kuril's voice was heard again.

John placed his hand on the comm and contacted Miranda. "Miranda. It's time."

"Yes, sir." Came Miranda's reply.

Hearing Miranda's reply Garrus looked at John curiously.

 _Why is she suddenly calling him 'Sir'?_

John read his thoughts. He just shrugged his shoulders and focused on his enemies.

 _Either she is really pissed at me or she is being just professional. I hope the latter, for my sake._ John thought.

Not five minutes later they heard more voices and gun fires.

Their cavalry has arrived.

[/\\]

Jacob followed Miranda as she walked fast towards the direction of the console that can disable all the mechs in the station. He followed her blindly because he trusted her. She maybe cold, calculating, shows people that she doesn't care about anybody. But he knew better. He was her partner for more than six years. He knew her to some extent. He also knew that she cares. She cares for him too just as a friend. He knew he liked this woman in front of him for a long time but she never returned his feelings. She always stayed away from any kind of relationships. One day he asked her why. At first she was harsh. She pushed him away and told him that she doesn't need any man. Then he rectified her errors. He told her that he isn't here to talk about himself. He wanted to know why she always pushes everyone away. She didn't even talked with her co-workers much aside from conversations regarding work. He explained to her that he wanted to know that. Often he watched her staring blankly at nothing, deep in her thoughts. Whenever he looked in her eyes he only saw grief and sadness which was ready to consume her fully. After years of working as her partner he gained her trust, at least to some extent. After that he saw her once again staring blankly at nothing. She looked as if she had lost everything. Nothing else mattered to her anymore, not even her job at Cerberus which was always her top priority. At that time Jacob had enough. He decided to do something. He couldn't bear to see her in this state. Without warning he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards an empty area where they could talk. She was angry at that time at his unexpected action but he didn't care. He confronted her directly. He still remembered their conversations-

" _What is wrong with you Miranda? You look like as if you have nothing left to live for anymore." Jacob asked._

" _Why do you care Jacob?" She almost yelled._

 _That took Jacob by surprise. She never yells at anyone. She doesn't need to. If she wanted to intimidate anyone her cold stare was enough. Besides he could see that she was acting out of emotion. That was odd because Miranda Lawson never showed any kind of emotion to anyone. She always remained in control._

" _You know I care for you Miranda." Jacob replied softly._

 _At his answer she turned her face away from him. "What is wrong Miranda? You can tell me. I am here for you…. As a friend." Jacob asked, gently placing one of his hand on her shoulder. She still didn't answer and refused to look towards him._

 _Jacob gently turned her face towards his. What he saw next broke his heart. Tears were streaming down Miranda's cheeks which refused to stop. She looked more than vulnerable. He took her small hinds in his and gave a small squeeze._

" _What happened Miranda?" He asked again. She tried to push him away but Jacob wasn't having any of that. "Stop acting like you don't care!" This time he raised his voice a little._

 _At this she mumbled something under her breath. He caught some of her words._

"… _is dead. …. Nothing left." She murmured to herself._

" _Dead? Who is dead? Miranda?" He asked grabbing her forearms._

 _At his question Miranda looked at him with venom in her eyes. He released her arms in surprise at the display of sudden anger on her face._

" _HE IS NOT DEAD." She replied coldly. In the next second she was crying again. "Can't be… can't leave me. Promised…." She begin to murmur and sob again._

 _Jacob was totally confused now. What has happened to her? Whatever she is talking about is making no sense to him._

" _Miranda! Miranda! Look at me!" He forced her this time. "I can't help you if you don't tell me." He said grabbing her hands again._

 _She detached her hands from his and looked at him angrily. "You want an answer?" She asked gritting her teeth._

" _I do and I want to help you." Jacob said honestly._

" _NO ONE CAN HELP ME! YOU UNDERSTAND? NO ONE!" This time she yelled with grief and sorrow in her voice. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? WELL JACOB, MY HEART IS BROKEN. YOU GOT IT? DO YOU?" She turned away from him and stormed away from there trying to hide her tears which were refusing to stop._

From that time Jacob was more than sure that she also cares. She cares more than anybody. She makes people around her believe that she has no heart but she has a big caring heart. She is one of the most caring person he can think of. He came to this belief not only because of her confession but also some other things. Whenever anyone asked for her help she refused to help them in front of public but she did help them when no one was around to see that she has a heart and she does care. Why she wanted no one to see her true self was a mystery to him, a mystery which he thought will never be solved until Shepard came. Miranda's long lost lover from her childhood and with her confession everything became clear to him. She protected her own heart from breaking again by trying not to care for anybody. She earned his trust when she saved him on few occasions, risking her life in the process. He begin to admire her at a certain level. Well, truthfully he was attracted to her from the beginning. And who wouldn't? She is breathtakingly beautiful. Pale and perfect skin, blue eyes, pink lips, raven hair and a perfect body which screams for attention from both sex. But as they started to work together in missions he was able to get past his lust for her and begin to admire and respect her as an exceptionally talented, kind, caring, brave, and loyal person. And he still does.

He looked at her. She has her back to him while trying to manipulate the mechs through the console. The two of them managed to sneak past the prison guards making the battle as a distraction process. He had to admit that the Commander's plan is good but risky. Very risky. And she is concerned for him. She didn't say anything but her actions like pacing around near the cockpit and constantly checking her comm proved it.

She stepped back away from the console and indicated Jacob to follow her. He did so wordlessly. They countered few guards who were no match for them. Bullets combined with their superior biotics easily took care of them. Luckily they didn't face more guards as most of them were busy in the battle. He hoped Shepard, Garrus and Zaeed was alright. The three of them can stand their ground but there are too many guards. The Normandy crew is helping them but they may be outnumbered soon. The two of them reached the console which could get Jack free. There was a man in front of the console. He pulled out his pistol when he saw them. Miranda didn't give him any chance. She smashed him against the glass wall with her biotics and the man slid down to the ground, unconscious.

She immediately began tapping on the console while Jacob stood guard. They needn't communicate. After years of working together they understood each other easily. But within a few seconds she turned back to him.

"We have a problem." She said.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"It looks like this console is connected to every prison cell in this ship. If I release Jack then all the prisoners will be free as well." Miranda revealed.

"Great. That's just what we need. More chaos." Jacob mumbled.

"Commander. Do you hear me?" Miranda said in her comm.

It took few seconds for Shepard to reply. " _I can hear you Miranda. The mechs are causing havoc among the guards. Excellent job_." He praised.

Miranda didn't even acknowledged his praise. "We have a problem here. It seems the console is connected to every cell in the ship. If we free jack, we are going to free every single prisoner on this damn ship."

" _If this is the only way to free Jack, then do it._ " Came Shepard's reply.

"Alright, Commander." Miranda said and begin to work on the console to free Jack.

After a few strokes of her fingers on the console a containment cell slowly came over the surface, free from cryo. The two of them saw Jack for the first time through the looking glass.

"That's Jack? Jack is a _she_?" Jacob said to himself.

"It seems so." Miranda replied looking at the figure of Jack. The woman was bald headed and had numerous tattoo on the upper part of the body and adding to that she was barely wearing anything except a thin leather strap to cover her breasts which was barely doing it. The woman looked not much older. She looked younger than Miranda.

Then the alarm went off. All the prisoners started to escape from their cell but Miranda and Jacob could see that they were getting caught by the guards immediately. But Jack was exceptional. Four guards approached her containment chamber cautiously with their guns raised. Suddenly she opened her eyes and with a single biotic blast she killed the four guards in the blink of an eye. The force of the biotic blast was so great that it created a large gap in the wall where it impacted.

"That's some crazy biotic power." Jacob said, his eyes wide. "Now I can understand why she is on our recruitment list. Her powers are too great. More than any of us."

"She is no match for John. Truthfully no one can match his power." Miranda replied.

"I have seen Shepard's biotics, Miranda. They are great but even he can't do what Jack did." Jacob argued.

"You have seen nothing Jacob. What you saw back at Freedom's Progress was nothing compared to what he can really do." Miranda said.

"Then if he is so powerful why did he need the Normandy crew? He can wipe out the entire enemy squad within a matter of a few minutes." Jacob asked.

"He can't control it. He is trying to learn but he has failed always. So he can't rely on his biotics." Miranda explained.

"I have never heard of anyone like Shepard you know. He is not….." Jacob said.

"Ordinary?" Miranda finished for him.

"Ah… yeah! Tell me Miranda have you seen or heard of anyone like him?"

"I know, Jacob. He is extra-ordinary." Miranda said with pride in her tone. Jacob noticed a small smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. It was a smile that displayed pride, respect and admiration.

 **Note: Jacob and Miranda's conversation took place after Shepard died and she was tasked to recover Shepard's body by Illusive Man. I apologise for the delay and short chapter. Next chapter will be updated within next week. (I hope)**

 **Please review as always. (Ignore the grammar mistakes for now, they will be corrected soon. Someone has agreed to help me in this regard.)**


	43. The God vs the Convict

'FREE! I am free at last! Won't let those bastards catch me again.' I said in my mind repeatedly. The joy of freedom feels good and this new feeling is totally new to me because for my whole life I was abused, tortured, raped and imprisoned. Once I get out this damn prison I will find the ones who ruined my entire life. I will kill each and every one of them with my bare hands. Every last one of _Cerberus._

I could still feel the pain when they tied me down on a bed and put several needles in my skin. I was nothing but a fucking tool to them. They used me for their sick experiments and when I grew up a little I was forced to fight other children like me, who were also imprisoned there. But before they forced me to fight they tortured me, made my anger boil in my veins. Sometimes they even raped me for satisfying their hunger. I was helpless. I could do nothing. I just kept staring at the ceiling of my room as they abused me, violated my body to their own will. After years of going on like this I made myself not to feel anymore although every time those bastards touched me it used to make my skin crawl at disgust.

This was one of their technique apart from torture to bring out my anger which I could spend on the other children. They succeeded. I used to be so angry that I never thought twice before attacking other children like me. No one could stand up to me. I was the best. My biotic powers surpassed all of the others. For every kill I painted a tattoo on my body. The only means of survival was to remain as their best tool which I did. Sometimes I wanted to die but I couldn't kill myself because I swore to myself that one day they will pay. Everyone who has caused me pain will feel pain ten times more than what they made me went through. But later I regretted killing those children. I always did. I had no choice though. But they didn't allow me to regret over anything. I was their experimental tool whose goal was to become the ultimate killing machine who won't thought twice before killing her target. They knew how to cover up my regret with my anger.

I slowly began to lose my sanity and begin to turn into something which they wanted. But I don't wanted to be something like that. I want to be free. I want to be loved. I want to be cared for by someone or a family. I never knew about my family, who my parents were or anything related to them. I never knew love. That term is foreign to me. All I knew is rage and violence.

But now I am free. No one will touch me again. Whoever will stand in my way will receive only one thing from me. Death. That's the only thing I can offer.

So when I opened my eyes and realized that I was free, I was overjoyed with the feeling of freedom. Then I saw them. Four guards approaching me with their guns pointed at me. They stood no chance. No one can stand up against my biotic powers. With a wave of hand I squashed their body against the wall at my front and created large hole there for me to escape. I went through the wall and saw more guards coming towards me. I felt angry. Angrier than ever. So I used all my anger, rage and frustration on those guards. Within seconds my hand was stained with their blood as their mangled bodies lay scattered on the ground before me. I walked past them without a second glance. I felt good. Really good. Satisfied actually. And this time I didn't regret killing those sons of bitches.

As I proceeded further in search of exit I had to face more guards. I felt pleasure in killing them. One single biotic punch shattered a face. Next a biotic blast crushed three more against the wall. One was lucky enough to fire a shot at me but my barrier easily absorbed the impact of the bullet. Giving no more opportunity, I grabbed his hand and broke it with a mere twist. I took hold of his gun and shot him point blank in his forehead. He was dead instantly. Throwing the gun aside I ran forward.

After searching for the exit for some time I still couldn't find it. I was frustrated. Then I heard a voice over the station or wherever I am.

"Stop Shepard and his team you fools. Kill them."

I deduced this must be the voice of the head of the prison guards. I really don't give a fuck about him. But who is this Shepard? I got curious. Then I heard gunfire and several voices at a distance. It seemed someone was causing chaos over that area. But I didn't dwell on that matter for long because I have more important things in my mind.

 _I have to escape from this prison._

So I ran. Kill. Ran again. Killed more. And ran again. Then I realized. I can't escape. I am in space. There is nowhere to go. I am trapped. Again. But something else caught my eye. A starship. I felt hope. Then I saw it. The emblem on the ship. I recognized it very well because that sign ruined my life.

Cerberus is here.

I felt frustrated and angry also. I won't let them take me. Not this time. I let out an angry growl and started pacing at the dock area. I heard commotion at my left and saw more guards approaching. I summoned my immense biotic powers and blasted them away. I saw their broken bodies with satisfaction. But for running for so long and using my biotic powers constantly I was feeling exhausted. I held on the wall beside me for support and trying to get past the dizzy feeling that was trying to overwhelm me. Then I heard something behind me. More guards and this time I knew they wanted to kill me. I knew I would be too late to stop them for killing me. My barrier also faded from exhaustion. Is this my end? No. I can't die like this. Not now. Not before I kill each and every one of Cerberus. But my fate is telling me otherwise. I decided to turn around towards the guard and die like a fighter. Then I heard a gunshot but no bullet hit me. But the guard was dead. There was a bullet wound on his forehead. I turned around to face my saviour. And then I saw him.

He stood there in front of me holstering his gun. He wore a black and red armour. He was well built, I can tell that by his physique, although his body is covered by his armour. He is taller than me by at least six inches. He has short hair, tan skin and a pair of piercing blue eyes. I felt as if those eyes were gazing at my soul, if I have one. He looked military and if I say that he is handsome that will be more than an understatement.

"You Jack?" He asked.

"What do you want? Who are you people?" I countered instead of answering.

"I am Commander Shepard. I am here to get you out from here." He replied calmly.

I relaxed a little. Just a little. From his body language I can tell that he means no harm. Then my eyes fell on the four figures standing behind him. A turian in blue armour, a one eyed mercenary, a dark-skinned man with well-built figure and lastly a woman. I had to admit that this woman is beautiful although I don't want to. But there was a coldness in her eyes which I can see. That was no problem for me but then my gaze fell on the emblem on her chest.

 _That sign again._ _Cerberus._

Immediately my body tensed and I flared up my biotics. White, hot anger begin to run through my veins. I saw red. Letting out a battle cry I lunged at the woman, ready to kill.

[/\\]

 **ABOUT 60 MINUTES EARLIER**

" _Miranda. Can you hear me?_ " Miranda's comm came alive.

"I hear you, J… Commander. We are pursuing Jack." Miranda replied while moving towards the direction where jack went. It was easy to follow because there was massive destruction along the path which she went through.

" _Alright. Rendezvous at the marked location, ETA 5 minutes."_

"You got it, Commander." Miranda ended the connection.

"The Commander is okay?" Jacob asked while following her.

"Yeah. He is. Come on Jacob." Miranda hurried forward.

 **5 MINUTES LATER**

The team met again at the destined location after five minutes.

"They are all dead. There were at least two hundreds of them. We have no casualties but some of our crew members are injured." John answered to Jacob when he asked about the situation.

"We lost track of Jack, Commander." Jacob said.

"We must find her, before it's too late." John said. He heard about Jack from Miranda.

"Where should we go? This place is so big. She could be anywhere." Zaeed said.

"She should be near the docking area. I think she will try to escape this station." Miranda suggested.

"Miranda is right. That's the most logical thing for Jack – trying to escape." John said. "Let's go."

They faced few prison guards on their way. They went down within minutes. At last they faced a large door in front of them. They could hear gunfire past that door. They readied their weapons and moved forward cautiously.

Opening the door they came saw Kuril. He had a powerful shield around him which was provided by four generators. He was taking down the escaped prisoners one by one. They were no match for him because his shields were not penetrable.

"You're valuable, Shepard. I could've sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble. At least I can recapture Jack." Kuril said.

"Not happening! You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it." John said angrily.

"I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!" Kuril replied.

"Tell me Kuril. Who wants me?" John asked.

"Perhaps I would've told you, if you had surrendered to me. But since you are going to die I can give you a warning. Don't try to mess with him Shepard. You are no match for his soldiers." Kuril warned.

"No one threatens me, Kuril. Who is he?" John asked.

"An Emperor." That's all Kuril revealed and the prison guards started to appear from a far door. Immediately the battle began. They had to avoid Kuril's bullets and keep on fighting with his men. Garrus shot two in their head splitting their skulls.

"Night! Night!" Miranda said after tearing apart one of the guard's body with her biotics.

Jacob used his biotics to pull two enemies out of cover. Zaeed shot them point blank, killing them instantly.

"You and your team are proving to be much more trouble than I have expected. It's time for you to die, Shepard. Meet my secret weapons, a gift from the Emperor." He said and tapped on his omni-tool.

Another door opened and twenty human soldiers emerged from it. They were all fully armoured and armed to teeth.

"Who are these people? I don't recognize them by their armours. Doesn't look like any group of mercenaries." Zaeed said.

"They are not mercenaries. John look at their face. They are not blinking." Garrus said.

"Garrus is right. They also have a blank expression on their face. They look like living zombies." Miranda said.

"That's a strange logo they have on their armour." Jacob said.

"It seems like they are not alive although they are." John said.

"Meet my backup, Shepard." Kuril laughed.

In answer Garrus destroyed one generator with a single precise shot from his sniper. Kuril became furious. "Kill them. All." He ordered the strange soldiers.

Those soldiers started to rain bullets on John and his team. John peeked out and fired a sniper shot combined with disruptor ammo. He took a few bullets but his shield managed to absorb them. His shot was perfect as the bullet from his sniper hit one of the soldiers right in his forehead. He fell back on the ground immediately.

"One down nineteen to go." Garrus said.

The team couldn't fight effectively because Kuril was aiming his sniper at them. "We need to take down Kuril first." Miranda suggested.

John nodded. "Miranda. Destroy the generators. We will give you cover." She nodded.

They gave her covering fire so she could sneak past Kuril's eyes to get near the other three generators. She used the distraction and quickly slipped away from Kuril's eyes.

"John look." Garrus said.

Everyone looked where Garrus was indicating. The soldier who was shot down by John was slowly getting to his feet.

"What the….." Zaeed exclaimed. "How is he getting up?"

At that moment Kuril laughed. "You cannot defeat my soldiers, Shepard."

"We will see." John murmured.

This time Garrus took down another soldier with his sniper. But he too got up.

"They don't feel pain, Shepard. You can't scare them away or kill them." Kuril laughed again. He fired a shot at John which missed his head by inches.

"Jacob try biotics." John suggested.

Meanwhile Miranda has already destroyed two generators without Kuril noticing it. He was so observed in mocking John and his team that he didn't even see that three generators are destroyed and one of the members of John's team is missing. He did notice when Miranda destroyed the last generator and his shield dropped down completely. But it was too late.

"Night! Night! Kuril." John said and fired his sniper. The powerful sniper shot blew his head off. Miranda smirked hearing John's words. He spoke her words.

Kuril was dead but the real threat still remains. Jacob's biotics didn't work on them. No matter how much bullets they took they got up again and again. "How do we stop them, Commander? They are not dying. We are also getting low on ammunition." Jacob said.

John turned towards Zaeed. "Zaeed you have grenades?"

"Don't go anywhere without one, Shepard." He said and lobbed one at their feet. The blast threw apart few soldiers. Some even lost their hands and legs. But they still got up. The ones without their legs tried to crawl and fight as they couldn't stand up.

"Nothing is working. What can we do?" Garrus asked.

John didn't knew himself. How can he stop soldiers who don't die or feel pain? Then he noticed something. One of the soldiers who were blasted apart by the grenade still lay on the ground. His head was separated from his body.

"Target their heads and try to remove them from their body. Garrus, Zaeed switch to snipers. Use armour piercing rounds. Jacob defend us with your biotics." John ordered.

They agreed. Jacob stopped the incoming bullets as much as he can with his biotic barrier and the three of them fired shots from their snipers taking out the heads of the soldiers. Those armor piercing rounds did their job perfectly. With very shot the soldiers heads were blown apart and they couldn't get up again. Soon all the soldiers were dead.

They all took breath of relief when Miranda joined them.

"Where do you think these soldiers came from?" Garrus asked.

"The Emperor. He provided Kuril with these soldiers." Miranda answered.

"Who is this Emperor? At this modern time I don't think there is an Emperor. That bastard was lying." Zaeed said.

"Maybe. Maybe not. If it is true then this Emperor is after me. But why?" John said.

"Maybe we will never know. I checked Kuril's omni-tool for some informations but it seems he has wiped out everything before dying." Miranda said. "We should take one of these soldiers' dead body with us. For some information." She added.

"We can. But we still need to get to Jack. We can't afford any distraction here." John said and proceeded towards the dock area. His team followed him without any words. They just crossed the door and reached the dock area when they heard a massive explosion behind them and the whole ship shook.

"What was that?" Jacob said.

"Looks like Kuril had somehow set the ship to self-detonate." John said.

"Then we better hurry." Miranda suggested.

They hurried forward and after few minutes they saw Jack. She was standing with her hand against the wall. John saw a guard behind her with his gun raised ready to shoot her on the back. Within the blink of an eye John had his pistol in his hand and with a perfect shot he took the down the guard.

Jack looked at them with surprise. She immediately got tensed seeing the gun in his hand so he holstered his gun silently telling her that he is not her enemy.

"You Jack?" John asked the woman in front of him.

"What do you want? Who are you people?" She asked with suspicion in her eyes.

"I am Commander Shepard. I am here to get you out from here." John answered.

With his answer the strange woman relaxed. But just for a moment. Suddenly her whole body tensed and begin to glow with biotics. With a battle cry she lunged directly at Miranda.

John reacted automatically. He tackled Jack to the ground before she could touch Miranda.

"Jack we are not your enemy." He tried to reason with her.

But she didn't listen. With a biotic shockwave she sent him flying and crashing against the pile of crates.

"John!" Miranda and Garrus exclaimed in fear.

Zaeed tried to hit her with the butt of his gun. But she hit him across the face with a biotic punch which threw him a few feet away. Jacob also flared up his biotics.

"I will kill each and every one of you." Jack snarled angrily.

"You bitch!" Miranda attacked Jack with her biotics. Even with her enhanced biotics she was no match for Jack.

"Die! Cerberus whore!" Jack attacked.

Miranda narrowly avoided Jack's attack. "Miranda watch out!" Jacob warned. Miranda stumbled on the ground while trying to avoid Jack's attack. She had to admit that her opponent's biotics is far more superior to her own. Now hearing Jacob's warning she looked up to see Jack preparing for the killing blow. Her intelligent mind tried to form a plan to survive the attack but her mind failed her this time. There was no way out. At that moment Jack unleashed a powerful biotic attack on Miranda which would've surely killed her but it never hit her because a body intervened the attack. She had closed her eyes momentarily preparing for her death to arrive but when it never hit her she opened her eyes to see John was standing in front of her. And Jack…. Well she just stood there with her mouth hanging open.

"How… you used Nova?" That's the only thing Jack managed to utter. Jack looked at the man standing in front of her. She just hit him with her full power but he didn't even flinch and he used Nova. Nova. That technique is so rare. Even the most powerful among the asaris have difficulty in performing this technique and he did it with ease. What surprised her most was his eyes. His blue eyes were shining with a powerful aura and she could feel the strength of it. His eyes were cold, there was no warmth present in there as he stepped towards her slowly. Jack wanted to defend herself but she stood there shock still. As he stepped near her, she flinched but he did nothing.

"Don't ever do that Jack. I told you we are not your enemies and believe me you don't want me as your enemy." He said in a cold but calm tone.

"Why should I believe you? You are Cerberus." She argued hesitantly.

"You have a choice. This ship is going down. Either you can come with us or you can down along with this ship." He replied.

"I have one condition. I want everything that Cerberus has about me on that ship." She demanded.

"Deal." John agreed and stepped past her towards the Normandy. Jack quietly followed him.

Jacob stared at Miranda. His eyes were still wide with shock. "How did he do that?"

Miranda gave him a look which said 'I told you so' before following Garrus and Zaeed into the Normandy.

 _ **Note: That's all for Jack's part. I hope you will like this. Let me know by reviews and as usual ignore the grammar mistakes for now. Pfcvillanueva has agreed to help and he is currently looking over the older chapters.**_


	44. Enter the Collectors

**NORMANDY, DE-BRIEFING ROOM**

Three persons were present in the de-briefing room – Commander Shepard, Miranda Lawson and their newest recruit, Jack. John stood near the wall with his back against it, watching Jack with interest. She is different from anyone he had ever seen. He wanted to know what made her like this. But Miranda as always got straight to business.

"Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Shepard's second-in-command. On this ship we follow orders." She stated firmly with her hands clasped on her back.

Jack glared at Miranda. She stared at the brunette with nothing but hate in her eyes. She looked at John. "Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off, Shepard. I'm here because of our deal."

"Miranda will let you into the system. Let me know what you find." John said.

Jack smirked and looked Miranda straight in her eyes. "Hear that precious? We're going to be friends. You, me and every embarrassing little secret." She mocked Miranda who remained calm.

"I'll be reading down in the hold or somewhere near the bottom. I don't like a lot of traffic. Keep your people off me. Better that way." Jack stated before leaving the room.

When Jack left, Miranda turned towards John. "What was the Illusive Man thinking? She may ruin everything."

"Don't worry. I'll talk with her and try to reason with her." John said.

"Why do you think she is so hostile towards Cerberus? I know we don't have a good reputation but….." Miranda murmured to herself.

"I have my own suspicions but I don't want to tell you anything, Miri. This is one of those things which you should figure out for yourself. It will be for the best." John said and stepped out of the room leaving Miranda alone in her thoughts.

 **AT THE FORWARD BATTERY**

"Hey Garrus! What are you doing?" John greeted his best friend.

"Just checking the weapons systems. You can never be careful. I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise. And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner." Garrus replied.

John was surprised at Garrus' reply. "You sure you're okay working with Cerberus?"

"I can't exactly judge your judgement. Not after I got my own squad killed." Garrus replied bitterly.

"How did those mercenary gangs take down your team?"

"It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me. A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming." He paused. "It's hard to trust people now-a-days John. You won't know who will betray you."

"You are right, Garrus. But there are people who you can trust." John said.

"You are right too." Garrus said looking at John. "I trust you."

John smiled at his friend. "Do you know where Sidonis is now?"

"No. His trail vanishes after he left Omega but I'll keep hunting. I lost my whole team, except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him…. And correct that."

"And I'll be there to hand you a gun." John said.

"I know, John." Garrus replied. "So, have you talked with our new recruit?"

"Not yet. She is quite for now. She got what she wanted." John said.

"She is dangerous, John. Her biotic abilities are incredible." Garrus said.

"Yes. We will need her help to fight against the Collectors." John agreed.

"What do you think about her hostility towards Cerberus?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know, Garrus. It must be something about her past."

"You know her hate for Cerberus can endanger life on missions?"

"I know and I will make sure that it doesn't happen." John assured.

"Anyway, thanks for coming by John. I've got some things to take care of." Garrus said.

John nodded and left his friend with the calibrations.

On his way to the elevator Kelly Chambers wanted his attention. "Commander. The Illusive Man wish to speak with you in the debriefing in the room."

John nodded.

"Shepard. I think we have them! Horizon…. One of our colonies in the Terminus System just went silent. If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?" The Illusive Man spoke while smoking a cigar.

"Not yet." John replied.

"Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know. Two of your former crew, Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko….. They're stationed on Horizon."

"Last I knew, Ashley and Kaidan, both were Alliance. Why are they out in the Terminus Systems?"

"Officially it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relation with the colonies. But they are up to something and if they sent Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko, it must be big."

"We should send a message to the Citadel. The Alliance can give us reinforcements."

"Not until you investigate. I don't want the Alliance getting in our way. Once you have the situation under control, I'll send the message personally."

"The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with two of my former crews? I don't buy it."

"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially they're working for the Reapers."

"Send the coordinates. We'll head straight there."

"This is the most warning we've ever had Shepard. Good luck."

The communication with Illusive Man ended as John found himself back inside the Normandy again. "Joker, set a course for the Horizon. I've got to go see the Professor."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

[/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\]

" _Miri you shouldn't go there." John pleaded._

 _Irritated Miranda glared him. "Just because you let me stay, it doesn't mean that you control me."_

" _I never said that." John complained, hurt by her words._

" _Then stop acting as if you control me." She spat._

" _So you think I am controlling you? I would never do that." John replied quietly._

" _Well you are doing it. You can't stop me from attending the party. I am almost fourteen and I think I can attend a friendly party."_

" _Miri, don't go. Those boys are up to something bad."_

" _How do you know that? Huh! You are not my only friend, they are too. I can meet anyone I please." Miranda said stubbornly._

" _I know. I am not telling you to end your friendship with them. Just don't go to the party today." John mumbled._

" _See? You are doing it again." She accused him angrily. "Anyways why do you think they will attempt something?"_

" _I knew Derek longer than you did. He is a spoiled, rich kid. Self-centred, cruel and…" John couldn't finish his sentence as Miranda slapped him across the face. This time she was fuming with anger. "How dare you?" She glared at him while he just looked at her with heartbroken eyes and holding his reddened cheek. "You know what, John? I don't want to see your face ever again." She snapped, turned around and left._

 _He looked towards the door with sad eyes which she left open when she left the house. "I will respect your wish, Miri. If you don't want to see my face again, then you won't but just bear to see my face one more time." He said to himself._

 _Miranda's thought turned to John while she was attending Derek's party. When John said bad things about Derek, she couldn't control her anger and slapped him. It's because she secretly fancies Derek and admires him. She don't know why John lied to her about Derek. He is a good person and a friend. He is also very popular in the school as the school's boxing champion. She is not planning to kiss him or something like that, she just wants to know him more as a friend for now. But John always disapproves of her being close to Derek. Why? Is he jealous? Nah! He certainly doesn't look at her that way and neither she. Then?_

 _When she slapped him before leaving home, she just couldn't control herself and her temper got the better of her. But now she feels bad. Actually she felt horrible. She just slapped her best friend, who did nothing but help her from the moment they met._

" _I will apologise to him when I get home." She thought to herself._

 _Her thoughts were broken when she felt a pair of hands on her waist. Surprised, she turned around to meet the grinning face of Derek. He was nicely dressed in a T-shirt and a blue jeans. She returned his smile while trying to wiggle away from his intimate embrace. But he refused to let her go._

" _Hey, beautiful." Derek smirked._

 _Miranda blushed at his comment and looked away. She could see that several girls were glaring at her because they wanted to be in her place. Ignoring their glares she turned to face Derek and returned his smile with a small "Hi!"._

" _You are looking smoking hot today!" He commented checking her out._

 _Miranda felt slightly uncomfortable under his stare but she managed to hold her smile. "Well, thank you, Derek. You are looking good too." She replied politely in a friendly manner._

" _I am looking good? Huh? So you wouldn't mind if I do this." Derek said leaning towards Miranda's face. An uncomfortable Miranda leaned back from his face._

" _Derek, what are you doing?" She said while trying to push his face away._

" _I will make out with you here today and show your boyfriend that he is not allowed to have pleasure with you alone. He should share." He smirked coyly._

" _My boyfriend?" She asked puzzled._

" _Yeah. That poor kid, John. You shouldn't be with him. You should be with someone like me."_

 _Miranda was surprised that Derek thinks John is her boyfriend. She was about to say that John is not her boyfriend but for some strange she couldn't utter the words. Instead she looked at Derek with furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean by that he gets pleasure from me?"_

" _Oh! I will show you babe, when we get upstairs in my room." He replied with a smirk and leaned down to kiss her again. Miranda turned away from him, trying to prevent him from kissing her._

" _John was right! I should have believed him. Instead I had hurt him. I had hurt my best friend. Not only I slapped him, I said so many horrible things on his face." Miranda thought as tear built in her eyes imagining the heartbroken eyes of her John._

 _Wait a minute! Her John? When did he became her property? She never realized it until now, but her sub consciousness knew that she has already staked a claim on him, invisibly. But now how will she get out of this trouble? How will she get rid of this bastard who is trying to abuse her?_

 _Desperately her eyes searched for help but she realized she wasn't in the centre of the party anymore. Somehow Derek has pulled her away from the crowd so he could have his way with her. "Derek…. Let go of me…" She struggled as he attacked her neck with his lips. Tears burned her eyes as she thought about the only person who could have helped her and how badly she treated him when he was just looking for her well-being._

 _At that moment Derek pushed her up against the wall. She cried out for help, closing her eyes, as his lips slowly descended towards hers. At that moment someone grabbed Derek from behind and pulled him away from Miranda. In the next second that person came to stand in front of Miranda with his back to her, protecting her from Derek._

" _Stay away from her, Derek." Miranda heard a familiar voice. In fact this was the voice she was hoping to hear. She opened her eyes slowly and she saw him. Her saviour. John. He is here. Relief flooded through her body while tear blurred her visions. Without wasting a second she was in his embrace, with her arms around his rest and hiding her face against his chest. Her tears soaked his shirt but he didn't seem to notice. Instead his arms enveloped her body making her feel…. Safe, as always. Miranda sniffed and snuggled closer to him. Her soft forehead touched his cheek as he kept glaring towards Derek. At that moment Miranda realized something which she was too thick headed to realize before._

 _She already has the person whom she needs and admires. She doesn't need any one else. He is all she needed and will need. All those feelings he stirred inside her when he looked at her with admiration or took her in his embrace to console her were now making sense to her. She can't name what this feelings are but she knows one thing for sure. Her life is incomplete without John, in fact her life is nothing without him. Under no circumstances she can imagine a life without him. If her suspicions are true which she thought for sure is true, it only means one thing – Miranda Lawson has fallen for John. She was too stupid and stubborn too realize it until now and not to mention she ignored all those feelings he could stir inside her with just a simple smile. The corner of her lips turned upward at the realization of her feelings towards her best friend… no screw best friend…. He is much more to her._

 _She was an idiot thinking that she could like someone like Derek. She never could and never can because she has her John and no one can be compared to him. Her arms tightened around John's waist as she pressed herself closer to him._

 _Derek brushed himself off the floor and looked at his adversary. A knowing smirk formed on his lips. "Your boyfriend won't be able to take you away from me this time, Lawson. Tonight you will be mine."_

" _Over my dead body!" John said pushing Miranda behind him._

" _I will grant your wish." Derek smirked and took a step forward._

 _John eyed the boy cautiously. He knew he can't take on Derek because he was much bigger and stronger than him. He stands no chance but he won't give up. He must protect her at all cost._

" _Miri, when I distract him, you will run." He whispered to her._

" _No. I won't leave you here." She shook her head negatively._

" _Don't argue. Do as I said." He said glaring at her leaving her no room for argument. Reluctantly she agreed._

 _Wasting no time, John tackled Derek to the ground trying to hold him down on the ground but he knew he can't hold on much longer because his opponent was way too strong for him. Miranda ran away from there, she didn't want to but she did. She couldn't go much further as she found her way blocked by three of Derek's goons. They immediately captured her and pulled her towards the way where Derek was._

 _In the meantime Derek has pushed John away from top of him and was getting ready for a fight. "Your girlfriend can't escape me."_

" _Too bad she did." John snarled._

" _I don't think so." Derek smirked looking towards John's back. He indicated John to look back. Keeping an eye on Derek, John shared a glance towards his backside. What he saw made his blood cold. Miranda was there, bound and gagged and being manhandled by three of Derek's friends._

" _I told you that there is no way out. So it's now between you and me. I can assure you that after I'm done with you I'll take good care of her." Derek smiled evilly. Then he signalled his friends to take the gag off from Miranda's mouth. She begin to struggle more desperately in their hands._

 _Enraged John attacked his enemy. He swung a punch aiming towards Derek's head which he easily avoided and countered with a jaw breaking upper cut. John felt his feet has left the ground as he saw blackness. He felt himself crashing down on the ground seeing stars in front of him. He placed his hand on his jaw and he as thankful that his jaw wasn't broken but he tasted blood in his mouth._

" _John! Get up! Get up!" Miranda screamed._

 _Derek and his friends laughed. "First I will break your boyfriend then I will break you, Lawson."_

" _Don't make him lose control, Derek. You will regret it." Miranda warned but they just laughed at her and John._

 _John slowly got on his feet. He was still dizzy from the blow he received at his jaw. Nevertheless he must be strong. He must protect her. He swung another punch at Derek's face but this time Derek grabbed his fist and kicked his shin. Gasping in pain he fell down on his knees. Derek smiled evilly at Miranda before raising both of his hands over his head._

" _No! Please no!" Miranda pleaded realizing the horror Derek is about to unleash on the boy she loves._

 _Without waiting any longer Derek brought both of his fists on John's back making him scream out in agony as he fell down on the floor on his stomach._

" _Don't hurt him! Please!" Miranda said with tears in her eyes. She couldn't see John suffer anymore. This has happened all because of her. If she only listened to him, then nothing of this sort should have happened. She would've been safe with him in their home and he wouldn't have been hurt because of her. Miranda felt ashamed of herself._

 _Derek approached her and grabbed her chin painfully, forcing her to look towards him. "If I spare him will you do whatever I will tell you to do?"_

 _Miranda nodded, still crying._

" _No! Don't listen to him Miri. I forbid you." John's strong voice took everyone by surprise. He was still lying on the ground but his eyes were locked with Miranda's. Miranda observed the damage Derek had done on John. He had a massive bruise on his jaw and from the corner of his lips she could see a thick line of blood coming out from his mouth._

 _Angrily Derek turned back to John and kicked him in his stomach. John groaned in pain._

" _Stop hitting him!" Miranda yelled desperately. She can't see him like this. This is killing her. But Derek didn't listen to her. Out of rage he pulled John on his feet and begin to pummel his face mercilessly until John's face was bloodied and full of bruises. His lips swollen and cracked, one eye closed because of the punishment he took. Derek let him go and John fell on the ground on his stomach, completely unconscious._

 _Derek turned towards Miranda and smiled. "I told you, I will take him down. See? I have kept my promise. Now there is nothing that can stop me from having you for myself tonight."_

" _You are a monster!" She spat. "I thought that you were my friend. John warned me but I didn't listen. He saw right through you, bastard!"_

 _Derek smirked and leaned towards her face to kiss her. This time Miranda didn't lean back, angrily she spat on his face. Derek stumbled back. He took a moment to realize what she has done._

" _How dare you?" He snarled._

" _Serves you right!" Miranda snarled back._

" _Why you bitch!" Derek took a step towards her and slapped her hard across the face. Miranda's head turned to her right side against the blow._

 _Then everything happened in slow motion. Derek and his three friends crashed against the wall and slowly slid down on the ground. The four friends opened their eyes to see what hit them and their eyes widened in fear._

 _Miranda's eyes widened too, not in fear but in amazement. Everyone was stunned at what they were seeing._

" _John….." Miranda whispered. She couldn't speak anything more because no words came out from her mouth. There he was standing in front of her in his god like form. She has never seen him like this before, never. Not even when they had first met. This was more powerful. His eyes has turned completely black and the biotic aura that surrounded him was no longer blue but black. His black eyes were shining dangerously which were locked on Derek and his friends._

 _Slowly his head turned towards her and she could tell that he was looking at the small amount of blood on her lips. He took a step towards her and stood right in front of her unmoving. Miranda's blue eyes were locked on his black ones. Slowly she felt him touching her lips with one of his fingers. Then she felt something inside her. It was a wonderful feeling which she couldn't describe in words. Actually there was no word which can describe the feeling. When he removed his finger from her lips she couldn't feel any more pain on her lips. She touched her lips with her own hands and found no trace of blood._

 _He has healed her. How?_

 _When she looked at John's face again she saw a new wound on his lips, just like hers. His wound is on the same place where she had his wound a moment ago._

 _Miranda realized something at that moment which brought tears to her eyes. But they were tears of happiness and gratitude._

 _He took her pain away by not only healing her, he also took her pain in him._

 _Derek and his friends were cowering in fear with their back pressed against the wall. They even forgot to run. They stood in awe, looking at the being in front of them._

" _What the hell are you?" Derek's voice broke the silence._

 _John's black eyes which were looking at Miranda with compassion turned dangerous immediately. He took a step forward in a threating manner. Before John could do any physical harm on Derek and his friends, Miranda quickly placed herself between them with her back to John. She pressed her back against his chest to stop him moving forward and to her amazement he stopped._

 _She looked straight towards Derek. "I warned you Derek. I warned you not to make him lose control."_

 _Ignoring her, Derek questioned fearfully, "What the hell is he?"_

" _He is a god, Derek. A living god. My god." Miranda said the last part turning towards John and placed one of her hands on his bloodied cheek._

" _God? Huh! Don't bullshit me Lawson." Derek said. He tried to be strong but courage was lacking in his voice._

" _Then maybe I should let him demonstrate to you what he is capable of." Miranda replied coldly. "And don't blame me if he kills you."_

 _Derek's eyes widened immediately. "No! No! I am giving you my word that from now on I will behave. Please let me go!" He pleaded._

" _Be gone before I change my mind!" Miranda warned them. She had her arms around John's waist with her head resting on his chest._

 _She needn't speak twice. The four of them bolt away from there as if they were chased by a cyclone._

 _Miranda looked at John. He was still glaring towards the way where Derek and his friends were a moment ago. She was a little hurt also as she saw that he didn't took her in his arms as he always did. Pushing her thoughts away she concentrated on the task in her hand. She needed to calm him down._

 _She grabbed his face and forced him to look down, towards her. "John…. Calm down. They are gone." She said softly._

 _After an hour they were back at their home. On their way back to home, John was barely holding himself to stay on his feet. He was badly beaten by Derek. When they reached home, he let Miranda enter but he didn't step in. He stayed outside the door and turned to leave. When Miranda realized that he is not following her she turned to see that he was leaving._

 _She came towards him running and grabbed his wrist. "Where are you going?" She asked angrily._

 _At first he didn't answer. She could tell that it was causing him pain to pen his mouth but he did after few moments. "I am leaving, Miranda." He dropped the bomb._

 _Miranda's eyes widened in fear. "Leaving?! Where?! Why?!" She almost yelled. "What about me?!" She also noticed that he called her 'Miranda' not 'Miri'._

" _Maybe you don't remember but you told me that you don't want to see my face ever again. I am only respecting your wish." He replied quietly not meeting her eyes._

 _Instantly all of Miranda's anger washed away only to be replaced by shame and guilt. She resented herself. She really don't deserve his friendship and least of all - him. Tears filled her eyes as she found no words to say. He gently pulled his arm away from her grip and started to walk away._

 _Miranda couldn't take anymore. She threw herself at him and embraced him tightly while she sobbed loudly in his chest._

" _I am sorry! I am so sorry, John. Please, forgive me. Please don't leave me. Please! Don't go! I was a fool. I was stupid. Give me any punishment you want but please don't go." She pleaded._

 _To her surprise she felt his arms go around her waist and held her tightly against his body. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Miri. We are both to blame. I acted like jerk. I should have told you everything from the start." He whispered._

" _How can you say that? I acted awfully towards you and not to mention the harsh words I spoke to you. You did nothing wrong. This is my fault. It is my fault that you got so hurt badly today. I should have listened."_

" _Miri… you couldn't have known. He was your friend. I am at fault too for not explaining everything to you." John apologized. "I am sorry."_

" _So you are not leaving?" Miranda mumbled in his chest._

" _How can I leave my best girl?" He teased her._

" _I better be your only girl and you should keep it that way." She said her voice filled with jealousy. "If I see that Cindy girl beside the store trying to touch you again it won't be good for her."_

 _John chuckled at her possessiveness and led her inside the house. "You know that you are the only girl in my life."_

" _It better be." She said placing nuzzling her face in his neck._

" _Seems someone is jealous." John teased again. He knew that Miranda is his best friend as he is hers so she didn't like any other girl touching him or getting close to him physically. Somehow she has claimed him as her property and he didn't mind instead he felt thrilled about the fact that an amazing girl like her is claiming him wordlessly._

 _This time Miranda swatted his arm before hiding her face against his neck. Unknown to John her lips curved into a small smile. "I love you, John." She said in her mind._

 _She had no idea whether her love for his is romantic or not but she knows one thing – Her life has no meaning without him._

 **PRESENT TIME**

Miranda woke up with a start. She was sweating heavily. She looked around her room and let out a sigh of relief. The memory is still rich in her mind. But the strange thing was that when she dreamt about it, she saw it differently. In her dream, John never forgive her and he left her alone in their home.

Miranda knew this was her greatest fear. When he died two years, she somehow found the strength to bring him back. She believed in herself that she could do it. And she did but if he dies again or leave her, she won't be able to cope with it. It will be too much for her heart to bear. This time she won't be able to survive even for the sake of her sister.

She tried to push the negative feelings at the back of her mind but for some reason she felt that her dream was a warning.

At that moment EDI's image appeared in her room. "Miss Lawson, you are requested to meet the Commander and the others in the de-briefing room." She said in her synthetic voice.

"What's going on EDI?" Miranda questioned.

"The Illusive Man tracked down the Collectors on Horizon. We are going in." EDI replied and her image disappeared.

 _We are going after the Collectors?_

For some reason Miranda had a bad feeling about this mission. She just couldn't shake away the dream of John leaving her. She just couldn't. Nevertheless, she will follow him anywhere, even to death. So she quickly got up and went to the de-briefing room to meet John and the others.

 _ **Note: Sorry for the long wait. I was busy with gaming and because of some reason didn't feel motivated to write. :D . Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter. The next chapter will be up in no time. I have already started working on it.**_

 _ **About the memory, it happened a few months before Miranda realized that she is in love with John, romantically and her confession to him.**_

 _ **If there is any error regarding her age, PM me and let me know. I will correct it. Last of all, don't forget to review. It motivates me to write.**_ __ __

 _ **As a preview of the next chapter, I can say things will change for someone in the next update. Someone's whole world is about to change.**_ __ __


	45. Horizon

Miranda dressed herself in a dark blue armour and head to get her weapons. She found the others there. Acknowledging Jacob and Garrus, she went to get her weapons. She took the M-9 Tempest as her primary and the M-6 Carnifex as her sidearm. She prefers light weapons because they allow her to move freely. She saw Garrus has already armed himself with the M-92 Mantis sniper, M-15 Vindicator assault rifle and an M-3 predator. Jacob as always is armed with an M-22 Eviscerator and a sidearm. Zaeed the mercenary has armed himself well with an M-96 Mattock. The weapon has low fire rate but it can deal heavy damage. Jack was there too along with Mordin.

The team was in the de-briefing room momentarily. John stood there at the end of the table with his arms folded over his chest. He was armed with M-76 Revenant, M-22 Eviscerator, M-97 Viper, M-12 Locust, M-5 Phalanx and a ML-77 Missile Launcher.

Miranda was always amazed how he could carry so many weapons on his back and still move gracefully. It was as if he never feels the weights of those weapons that he carries on his back. She thought maybe it is because how strong he is and she knew he is not an ordinary human.

"Professor, you sure those armour upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?" John questioned.

"Certainly impossible. But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms." He paused and then dropped the bombshell. "In theory."

Jack was the first to react. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"In theory?" Miranda asked, ignoring Jack's reaction.

"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Looking forward to see if we survive!" Mordin explained without any reaction.

"Fantastic!" Garrus sighed.

" _Commander, drop zone in ETA 5 minutes._ " Joker informed through comm.

"Acknowledged." John responded back and looked to his team. "Everyone be prepared. We are about to face an unknown enemy and have no idea what they are capable of. Keep your eyes open."

Everyone nodded. Miranda's eyes met John's. She just couldn't shake away the nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Her sub-consciousness was telling her that something bad is going to happen down there.

 **HORIZON, ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO**

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams observed the techs working on the massive guns that were installed by Alliance to protect the colony against possible threats. Her gaze was on the engineers who were trying to fix the guns but her mind was elsewhere – on John Shepard.

 _Is he really alive?_ That was the first question that came to her mind. There were rumours that the dead Spectre has come back from dead but it was only a rumour. None can give proof that _he_ has come back. Even Councillor Anderson has heard the rumours and he seem to believe them. When she voiced her doubt to him, his only reply was – " _If anyone can cheat death himself, its John Shepard._ "

It is true that man is irreplaceable. She has heard about many great soldiers, who played great roles for the benefit of humanity but none of them can be compared to John Shepard.

 _He was something else._ She thought with a sad smile.

She remembered the time when she took him by surprise and kissed him, telling him silently how she felt about him. She must admit that it was a bold move but… she had to. To her surprise he never returned her affection, instead he just stared at her with wide eyes. She sensed that there was something he wanted to tell her when they went to hunt geth but those words remained unspoken and she will never know what he wanted to say that day. Unless… the rumours are true and he is truly back but that is unlikely.

The Alliance sent her and Alenko as a protection to this colony because of an unknown threat – Human colonies are missing one by one and no one knew why or how or who were behind them. When teams were sent to investigate for colonies no clues were found, no signs of struggle, no blood, nothing, everything was intact except the recordings of the video cameras were scrambled and there was no sign of human life. The colonies remained deserted. She and Alenko saw the scenario with their own eyes and truly there was no evidence.

She turned her head around when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Alenko, who was coming towards her with a grim expression on his face. She could sense that something was wrong. Immediately she stood up to face him.

"Something wrong?" She asked tensely.

"Yes. Look at this." He answered after holding a data pad in front of her.

She gently took it with a curious look wondering what is written in the data pad. Her question was answered when she read it and her eyes became wide with disbelief.

"It….. it can't be." She croaked.

"I am afraid, it is true. He is back and working for Cerberus." Kaidan said angrily. He just can't believe that the Commander will work for Cerberus. He knew perfectly well what they were capable of.

"Are you positive?" Ashley asked still doubtful.

"About him being alive? No. He working for Cerberus? Yes." Kaidan replied.

"How can you be so sure that he is alive?" Ashley asked hopefully.

"Admiral Shepard got a message from an unknown source that her son will meet her next week in her private home." Kaidan answered.

"But how can they be sure that it's him?"

"They are sure that the message wasn't sent by him. There was a small signature at the end of the message. An 'M' was written in the place of the signature."

"Who's this 'M'?"

"Unknown but Admiral Shepard thinks she knew who this 'M' is and she is positive that her son is safe with this unknown 'M' person but she won't tell anyone the identity of this mysterious person. She also revealed to Councillor Anderson that no one cares about the Commander more than this 'M' guy, not even the Admiral herself."

"That can't be. No one can care more than a mother." Ashley disagreed.

"Yeah Councillor Anderson argued with her about it, but she insisted that whatever she said was true." Kaidan explained then hesitated. "Well, Chief I would appreciate that this words don't go beyond you. This is a very private matter and Councillor Anderson requested me to keep this between the two of us."

"Then why did he share this piece of information with us?" Ashley asked curiously.

"Well he thought that we were his teammates and went through hell and back with him, so we deserved to know."

Ashley nodded in understanding. "What did Admiral Anderson had to say about the rumour of her son's involvement with Cerberus?"

"She only said that she trusts her son and refused to reveal anything else." Kaidan said.

Ashley kept her gaze towards the ground, "I don't know what I should think. I want to trust him but the mere idea of him working with the terrorists is preventing me from….. you know…."

"I understand but…" Whatever Kaidan was about to say remain unspoken when his gaze fell on the sky. It wasn't only him, everyone stopped their work and focused their attention on the sky to see the sky turn black and a particular area was filled with unnatural lighting. A chill ran down Kaidan's spine because he saw this before.

"What the hell is that?" Someone shouted.

Kaidan and Ashley shifted their attention to their left. Their eyes widened to see a thick swarm of insects coming towards them.

"Everyone get inside now!" Kaidan yelled while shooting at the insects but it had no effect as they were simply too many in number. Kaidan soon realized that the sky didn't turn black, it was the insects that made the sky look dark. He and Ashley kept firing to give the civilians some time to get inside but they failed. Within seconds each and every civilians were attacked by the insects and after that they just stood like a statue. Ashley dragged Kaidan behind a cover. Then they heard a strange sound coming from the sky. Ashley and Kaidan peeked from cover to see a massive and strange spaceship was coming down from the sky slowly and the sound was coming from it.

"What is that?" Ashley whispered but Kaidan didn't answer. Confused she turned to look at him to see him frozen in place and another swarm of insects were hovering above her head. Her eyes widened when she saw those strange insects came flying towards her and in the next second she saw blackness.

 **30 MINUTES LATER**

The team carefully begin to approach the colony. John signalled everyone to stop and turned to Garrus who was on top of a small hill a few feet away. "Garrus, you see anything?"

"Negative. I don't have a clear sight from here. I need to find a higher ground." Garrus replied.

"I don't see any higher ground anywhere." Jacob said.

"Come on." John signalled his team to follow him. Since they landed he didn't hear any kind of sound from anywhere. The whole area was deathly quiet. Reading his mind, Mordin explained, "The seeker swarms has probably frozen all the colonists by now."

"It seems so." John said. "But they are still here." He added indicating towards the massive Collector ship which was still there.

"The Collectors are still here." Zaeed said.

John nodded.

"What is that thing?" Jack suddenly said earning everyone's attention. A body of a husk lay on the ground a few feet away from them. Everyone stepped forward to take a closer look.

"This one seems like the husks, the Geth used on Eden Prime." Garrus said.

"The geth got that technology from Sovereign." Mordin said.

"Shit! So the Illusive Man was right! The Collectors answer to the Reapers." Jack concluded. Miranda gave her a look which said 'Told you so'. Jack turned away from her in annoyance.

"Looks half-human. Guess we know what happened to the colonists." Zaeed said.

"No. On Eden Prime, victims were turned into husks by impaling them on spikes. We haven't seen any. The Collectors must have brought the husks. They are taking the colonists alive for something else." John said.

"The Collectors must be experimenting on the colonists. What are they up to?" Miranda murmured.

"Sounds almost worse than what Cerberus did to me." Jack deadpanned.

"The only way to find out is to stop them." Miranda said ignoring Jack's comment.

"These aren't the same creatures we fought on Eden Prime. They're more advanced. Evolved." John said.

"They still die when you shoot them." Garrus said.

"The Collectors aren't getting away with more victims. Let's move out." John said already stepping forward.

They proceeded further with the hope that they will find someone alive but they were only greeted by deathly silence. John pressed himself against a wall and peeked to see the area in front of him. 'There aren't much cover if we get into a firefight.' He thought. Then his eyes fell on a number of pods lying on the ground. They are the same pods which he saw in the video recorded by Veetor but they were empty.

When he stepped forward to check the cabins for survivors he heard a buzzing sound approaching them. Everyone heard it.

"We got company!" Garrus yelled jumping behind a cover.

"Shit! They can fly!" Jack said.

The Collectors fired on them but there were no bullets. They were armed with some kind of laser weapons.

"This shitholes has lasers!" Zaeed yelled while firing. He put a couple of bullets in a Collector's chest which died instantly.

"Looks like their body is as fragile as ours." John said. He came out from cover and spread bullets on the Collectors from his Revenant machine gun. He fired just for five seconds and then dove for cover but a beam from one of the Collector's rifle hit him before he could dive for cover. Luckily his shield managed to absorb the entire impact otherwise the shot would've penetrated his armour easily. He checked his shield to find that it has gone down completely.

"Commander! You okay?" Jacob asked.

"I am fine but my shield is down. Those beams are dangerous." John warned.

"Understood." Garrus said while tossing a grenade at a Collector who was hiding behind a cover. The impact of the grenade killed him and sent its body flying away.

For the next few minutes they fought with the Collectors and they learned that those creatures can cast biotic barriers to protect themselves for a short amount of time, their fire power was far more superior. The only relief was that those creatures has weak armours and go down easily if they are hit.

"This will be a lot harder than I thought." Garrus mumbled.

"We don't have time to waste. Let's move." John said. He won't let anyone become the victim at the Collector's hands. He won't. He kept his eyes towards the back covering his team as they moved forward. When he observed no threat he felt a soft hand touch his left cheek. Confused he looked down to Miranda caressing his cheek with her fingers.

"Miri?" He asked confused.

"Your cheek is burnt, John." She said while applying some medi-gel on the burn.

"Oh! I didn't even realize it."

She scowled at him after withdrawing her hand and marched away.

"Now what have I done?" He whispered to himself after following her footsteps but none of them stayed there long enough to see a shuttle land down slowly on the ground just outside the colony walls.

After few minutes of navigating through the colony they encountered another group of Collectors. But this time the enemy group was smaller in number than the previous one but still they had to be careful because of their weapons. Soon the Collectors were overwhelmed by the combination of bullets, grenades, biotic and tech attacks. Jack sent three Collectors in the air with a powerful shockwave for others to finish them with precise shots. Miranda used warp to crumble a Collector who was approaching from left. Zaeed threw an Inferno grenade at the feet of a Collector which was protecting itself with a biotic barrier. With the blast the Collector was engulfed by fire and died instantly. Jacon also used his biotic powers to good use along with Mordin who burnt down a few Collectors with his tech attack. John took down a number of Collectors with headshots giving them no chance to return fire. Garrus just stood behind a cover and with deadly accuracy he kept on blowing the head of the Collectors with his sniper.

They stepped forward when the Collectors were dead but they had to stop as a horrific scene greeted them. A woman was lying on the ground and a man stood over her, who was giving her a hand to help her get on her feet but they just stood like a statue, unmoving. John approached forward to see that both of them were surrounded by some kind of stasis field. Then he saw that both of their eyes were moving and focused on him.

"Shit! They are still alive!" Jack said, surprised.

John bent down on one knee in front of the helpless victims and turned to Mordin who was looking at them curiously.

"Professor, what do you think?"

"Seems to be some kind of stasis field – keeps you conscious, but completely helpless." Mordin explained.

"Can't you help them?" John asked when he saw the victims eyes were screaming for help.

"I don't have enough information to produce a counter effective medicine. Need more testing." Mordin explained.

John bowed his head, feeling helpless. This two people is just in front of him and he is helpless to do anything.

"I am sorry." He said looking towards them and stretched his hand to place on the man's shoulder for a small comfort.

"Don't touch them, Shepard!" Mordin warned but it was too late.

As soon as John touched them few seeker swarms left the victim's body and attacked him. Miranda was horrified. She immediately rushed forward to help him but she didn't need to. She saw him looking towards the ground where a small swarm of insects lay destroyed.

"Interesting." Mordin said in amazement.

"You okay?" Miranda asked.

He nodded.

"What the hell just happened?" Jacob asked, confused.

"The seeker swarms couldn't touch him. They malfunctioned as soon as they came in contact with his body. Very interesting." Mordin said with excitement in his tone.

"What is interesting besides those things got destroyed?" Jack asked Mordin.

"The key to destroy the seeker swarms lies within his body." Mordin answered.

John nodded again but didn't say anything. He was lost in his thoughts. When those things came in contact with his body he heard a voice inside his head which he recognized immediately. He can never forget that voice, it was still fresh in his head. It was the mechanical voice of Sovereign. He has a suspicion that the Collectors are being directly controlled by Reapers and that's not a positive thing.

They found more civilians in similar state as before and they could do nothing to help them. Pushing the helplessness at the back of his mind John led his team forward. On the way they discovered a Collector weapon which Jacob kept to himself for further inspection. They didn't have to proceed further, they just took a few steps ahead when they were ambushed by the Collectors again. This time they were more in number and they completely surrounded the rescue team.

"Damn they are coming from all directions!" Garrus warned after blowing off a Collectors head.

"Don't let them get close!" John yelled as he fired on the Collectors.

The team was faring well against their enemies when suddenly a Collector begin to glow and float in the air. Then they heard the mechanical voice of Sovereign himself.

" _Assuming direct control."_

The voice John heard when the seeker touched him, was now heard by others as well.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Jack yelled, tensed.

"It's Sovereign." Miranda answered.

Garrus nodded in confirmation. He remembered that voice very well. Still after so many time that mechanical sent a chill down his spine.

Everyone focused their fire on the possessed Collector but it was hard since there were more coming at them from all directions. It was Miranda who noticed that John wasn't moving. He was stood still looking at the possessed Collector. Moving from cover to cover she reached him to check whether he was okay or not. When she reached him avoiding the attack from the Collectors she saw his gaze was still fixed on the possessed Collector and his eyes, they were hollow blue again. She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he didn't react to her touch. Everyone focused on the possessed Collector when they took care of the rest of the Collectors. The possessed Collector staggered from their combine attack and eventually died but Sovereign possessed another one when more Collectors arrived. It focused its tech attack on John but Miranda was in the way. Taking Miranda by surprise he suddenly turned in the blink of an eye covering her body with his own taking the full impact of the attack. Screaming in pain he fell on the ground. He felt as if someone pierced his body with thousand hot knives. Garrus and others saw John on the ground and Miranda trying to pull him up on his feet but it was too late, the Collector was already there in front of them readying its dangerous tech attack. Miranda prepared for the worst. She knew no matter what she does she cannot take down the possessed Collector before it kills her and John. The others fired at it but its barrier and armour absorbed the biotic, tech attacks and bullets. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst realizing her end is here. But nothing happened. Confused she opened her eyes to see the possessed Collector was standing with its head thrown back as if someone was sucking the life out of its body.

 _Reave._ Miranda realized. _But who?_

She looked down at John but he was still out cold on the ground. Everyone sighed in relief when the Collector died. Garrus and the others came to Miranda to help John.

"Who used that biotic attack?" Garrus asked.

In answer to his question an Asari revealed herself and stepped out of cover to reveal herself. Her body was still glowing with biotics.

"Who are you?" Miranda asked with John's head on her lap.

"I am not your enemy." The Asari said in a calm tone. "I am Samara, a Justicar."


	46. Rebirth

"I am not your enemy." Miranda only heard those words as she saw the beautiful yet a powerful Asari step towards her. The name 'Samara' she knew. She can remember her name from their recruitment list for the battle against the Collectors. They were supposed to recruit her later but she is here now already. But why and how did she find them?

As if the Asari read Miranda's mind, she begin to explain calmly, "I got your location from the Illusive Man himself."

Garrus raised his eyebrows and looked at Miranda. He noticed that she was also confused. He shrugged and concentrated on what the Asari was saying to them.

"We understand that you got information about us from the Illusive Man. But why are you here? It's unlikely that the Illusive Man forced you to join to us." Miranda asked.

Samara smiled slightly, "True. Even the Illuisve Man can't force me to do something which I don't desire but someone else can. That's why I am here."

Miranda quirked one of her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I am here because of him." Samara gestured to the unconscious form of John, who was lying on the ground with his head on Miranda's leg. The asari noticed how tenderly the human woman was caressing the face of the man lying on the ground, as if he is the most precious thing to her.

 _I have found them both._ Samara smiled inwardly with satisfaction. Then she took a good look at the man for whom she came. She felt her life is now blessed by the goddess herself. It is more than an honour to meet him and able to see him so close. _The protector of the galaxy._ To show her respect she bent down on one knee and bowed her head to him even he couldn't see.

Everyone jaw's dropped at her reaction. They heard about the Asari justicar, they are one of the most powerful and the wisest beings who exists in the galaxy. Their biotic powers are unmatched. They have never bowed in front of anyone but this justicar is bowing to a mere human.

"A justicar bowing to a human? I never thought I would see this day." Jack commented.

Samara slowly got on her feet and looked straight at Jack. "He is not just a human. He is much much more."

"Huh?!" Jack mumbled, confused.

"What do you want with him?" Miranda asked with narrowed eyes.

"To help him." She simply answered. "Help him to control his powers."

"You mean his biotic abilities?" Miranda asked.

Samara nodded. "Perhaps some of you have already witnessed what he is capable of." She paused. It was more of a statement than a question. She saw everyone gave her a firm nod. "What you have seen was just a glimpse of his power. You have no idea what he can do if he loses control. To train him I will need your help." She looked at Miranda. "Miss….?"

"Just 'Miranda' will do. What can I do to help?"

"I will explain everything later, Miranda. Not now. I am afraid this is not the appropriate time or place."

Miranda nodded in agreement and looked down towards his peaceful face. She placed her hand on his cheek and shook him slightly. She can't find any damage on him from outside but if there are any internal wounds…..

To ease her worry John let out a soft moan as he begin to regain consciousness. He could still feel his whole body aching in pain but he forced himself to open his eyes. Everyone was there looking at him with anticipation except Miranda. Where is she?

"Hey, John…. Are you okay?" Garrus asked looking at John.

"Miranda…." He whispered, anxious to see her face to make himself believe that she was unharmed.

"I am here J…. Commander." Miranda murmured.

Surprised John looked above his head to see her beautiful eyes looking at him with concern. Then he realised that he was lying on the ground with his head on her lap. Trying to hide his embarrassment he quickly got up on his feet and then noticed an unknown Asari standing a few feet behind Miranda, with her gaze fixed on him.

Seeing his questioning gaze on the Asari, Miranda stepped forward to introduce the Justicar to John. "She is Samara, a Justicar. She is here to help."

"Okay. But how did you find us?" John asked the Justicar.

"I will explain everything to you, once we are on board the Normandy, Commander. Now is not the time."

"Very well. Let's move." John said to his teammates.

Garrus stepped beside John when they started to proceed forward. "Hey! You okay?"

"Yeah. I am all right." John assured his best friend.

"If you say so but that was a massive blow you took."

"Yeah, I am still feeling the after effects." John joked to lighten the mood. Garrus grinned at him and slapped him on his back.

"What do you think about the strange Collectors?" Garrus said.

"It was Harbinger. He can directly possess an individual Collector one at a time." John said.

"Harbinger?! You sure?" John nodded. "So the Collectors are indeed the servants of the Reapers and Harbinger is in control of them. Not good. Not good at all."

"True. At least we know who our enemy is."

They reached a safe house which was locked from inside.

"Locked? Perhaps there are survivors inside." Miranda said.

"Only one way to find out." John nodded at Miranda.

At once she begin to work on the lock of the door and it only took a few seconds for her to unlock the door. The safe house was small. There wasn't anything important to notice inside except the armoury. Samara only had a pistol, so she took a SMG as her primary. She prefers light weight weapons so she can move freely and frankly she didn't need much firepower, she always relied mostly on her biotic abilities.

Then they heard a sound coming from behind the machines.

"We've got company." John warned aiming his pistol towards the source of the sound with everyone else imitating his action. "Come out!"

A man slowly stepped in front of them from behind the machines. He looked shaken, his eyes were wide with fear. By the looks of his uniform he seemed to be a mechanic. "You…. You're human. What are you doing out here? You'll lead them right here!" The man stuttered.

"I cleared a path! You're lucky you're not in the hold of a Collector ship right now."

"Those things are Collectors? You mean….. They're real? I thought they were made up. You know… propaganda. To keep us in Alliance space."

"Tell us what happened here."

"We lost our comm signals a few hours ago. I came down to check on the main grid. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there was swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I sealed the doors. Damn it…. It's the Alliance fault! They stationed Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!" The man spat.

"Tell me more about those two Alliance reps."

"I heard they both were some kind of heroes or something. Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather she just stayed back in Council Space."

"Any idea what they were doing here?"

"Supposed to be helping us get the defense towers up and running. I got the feeling they were here for something else. Spying on us, maybe."

"You told the colony has defense towers. Are they functional?"

"It was a gift from the Alliance. High powered GARDIAN lasers. Supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony. Had to build a massive underground generator just to give it enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online. So the Alliance gave us a giant gun that couldn't shoot straight ahead. Stupid sons-of-bitches."

"Why do you think this is the Alliance's fault?" John questioned, with a bit of anger in his voice.

"We're just a small colony. Nobody bothered us before we started building those damn defense towers and drew attention to ourselves. I left the Council space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed with them."

"The Collectors are targeting remote colonies. The Alliance was trying to help."

"I don't need their help. Too many strings attached. The reps said they were just here to get the towers online, but mark my words…. There's more to it."

"We can use those towers against the Collector ship." John said looking at Garrus.

"You'd need to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right."

"We can figure it out. Just tell us where to find it." Miranda cut in irritated. She was itching to slap the guy across the face and kick his arse.

"Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."

"It's probably better if you just stay out of the way."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."

"Didn't expect anything better than that from you. Asshole." Miranda mumbled the last part under her breath. She was irritated because the man was blaming the Alliance and in turn he was insulting John indirectly.

"I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck. I think you are going to need it." The man said and unlocked the door while scowling at Miranda, which she ignored.

They exited the safe house to find themselves at the other side of the colony and against more Collectors. This time the Collectors had husks with them and a strange large creature. It had small head, legs and arms compared to his body. Its face looked human but he was huge compared to a normal human body. Occasionally it sent shockwaves at them which was very dangerous. A single attack was enough to bring down shields and cause damage. Zaeed was unlucky and got hit by one its shockwaves and his shield was down instantly but his armour managed to prevent any physical damage.

"Fuck! That was close. That thing is dangerous." Zaeed cursed from behind cover.

The group couldn't concentrate their attack on a single enemy because the area was swarming with husks and Collectors.

"Garrus fall back and take out that creature." John ordered.

Garrus nodded and slowly crept back towards a cover far away. From there he had little chances of getting hit by the Collectors so he carefully aimed his rifle at the strange creature which was causing problems.

Jack in the meantime sent a shockwave at the approaching husks and scattering them successfully. Miranda sent a warp attack on the hulking creature but the attack just staggered it for only a second. No major damage was done. Samara begin to glow with her immense biotic power and unleash it on a possessed Collector. A single attack was enough to melt the creature into thin air.

"That was impressive." John praised the Justicar while firing on the oncoming husks and Collectors.

"You can do much more than that, Commander." Samara replied calmly.

In the meantime Garrus got the hulking creature in his scope. Wasting no time he unloaded six sniper bullets on the head of the creature killing it immediately.

"Husks approaching from the left." Jacob warned after throwing a grenade at their feet. The explosion tore their body apart.

A husk managed to come near John and swing its bony claws at his head. John ducked down and countered with a crunching attack on the creature's skull with the butt of his shotgun. As the creature faltered back, he blew it into pieces with a shot from his shotgun. To their relief there were no more hostiles present in their path. They quickly followed the way described the mechanic. Unlocking another door they faced another group of hostiles, luckily they were fewer in number than before. With only bumps and bruises they cleared the area and John could tell that they were faring well against the Collectors.

"They have already boarded the Colonists. We are running out of time." Miranda said with her gaze fixed on the huge Collector ship.

"We need to fix those damn guns. Miranda can you do anything?" John requested.

She stepped forward after nodding at him. After a moment she stepped back with dejected look on her face. "I can't. The main battery is malfunctioning. We need to get the generator fixed first."

"Damn. We don't have that much time." John cursed under his breath. He couldn't let the Collectors take those people away. He just can't.

"Hey! Maybe I can be of some help." They heard a voice from behind. It was the mechanic.

"You are out here?" Jack asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah! Um…. My friends need me. Well…." He stammered.

John knew that their efforts were futile. There was no way they could get back the colonists. He felt ashamed of himself.

"No one can do more than you have done, Commander Shepard." Samara said noticing his distress.

At the name Shepard the mechanic looked at John surprised. "Shepard? Wait, I know that name. Sure, I remember you. You are some kind of big Alliance hero."

John was about to open his mouth to correct the mechanic that he is no hero. He is a soldier but someone interrupted him before he could voice his protest.

"Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre….." Kaidan said as he stepped in their view.

"….. Saviour of the Citadel." Ashley finished the sentence for him. Then she looked at the mechanic. "You're in the presence of a god, Delan. Back from the dead." She added glaring at the mechanic.

John looked both surprised and delighted to see his friends and teammates alive and unharmed.

"I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did." Kaidan said shaking John's hand.

"It's been too long. How have you been?" John said smiling.

"That's it? You show up after two years and act like nothing's happened? I would've followed you anywhere, Commander. I thought…." Ashley's voice broke. "I thought you were gone….. I….. You were more than our Commander. Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

Miranda didn't like what she was hearing. _More than a Commander?_ She knew exactly what Ashley meant by 'More than a Commander'. She decided to end this conversation then and there and make Ashley realize that John was never hers and never will be.

"Excuse me?" Ashley stopped accusing John when she heard the female voice. She looked past John to see an extremely beautiful woman with blue eyes, raven hair and perfect body, dressed in a skin tight suit, stepped beside John and invaded his personal space. To Ashley's surprise the Commander didn't mind that this woman was invading his personal space. Kaidan couldn't help but stare at the incredibly beautiful woman standing beside the Commander. He is a man after all. The unknown woman glared at her and then spoke when she got Ashley's attention. "Maybe we can talk about personal issues later. Now we have more important matters which needs our attention." Miranda replied in a cold tone. She purposefully touched her arms with John and didn't move an inch even when Ashley noticed their physical contact. "And to answer your question, he spent the last two years in coma while we tried to bring him back. He had no choice."

"We?" Ashley questioned then she noticed the logo on the woman's dress. Surprised she looked at John, "You are with Cerberus now? I can't believe the reports were right."

"Reports? So much for security." Miranda mumbled.

"Alliance intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonies. We got a tip that this one could be the next to get hit. We went to Anderson, but he wouldn't talk. But there were rumours that you weren't dead. Worse that you were working for the enemy. And Garrus you too?" Kaidan said the last part looking at Garrus who didn't reply.

"Our colonies are disappearing. The Alliance turned its back on them. Cerberus is the only group willing to do something about it."

"Bullshit! I know what Cerberus is like. They talk about putting humans first, but at what cost? I wanted to believe that you were alive….. I just never expected anything like this." Ashley said with a sad expression on her face. "You've turned your back on everything we stood for!" She accused him.

Within a second Miranda's expression turned murderous. "Are you implying that Commander Shepard is a traitor?" She hissed in a threatening manner.

John could see that the situation is about to get out of hand, so he intervened, "We really should talk about this later. Ashley, Kaidan can you help us fix this gun. We need people to fix the generator."

"I can help." Kaidan volunteered.

"All right. Jacob, Kaidan and you," John pointed towards the mechanic, "Bring the generator online. I will contact the Normandy. Maybe EDI can help."

The three individuals nodded at him and went to fix the underground generator. John turned to others. "Normandy? Do you copy?"

"Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you." Joker responded over the static in the radio.

"EDI, can you get the colony defense towers online?"

"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power. I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output." EDI replied in her synthetic voice.

"Great. We play piggy in the middle while she sorts out the batteries." Jack deadpanned.

"Team. Defensive positions."

Everyone scattered around the area hearing his order. Garrus secured a good sniping point at the far end of the opening. It gave him good cover and well view of the area. Everyone took cover and waited for the generator to come online.

Within a few moments the generator became online and within the next few moments they were ambushed by the Collectors from all directions. This time they were too many.

"They are desperate to protect their ship." John said to Miranda while firing at the Collectors.

Husks, Collectors, Scions – the large and ugly creatures were swarming the whole area. The area became a small battlefield. No matter how many they killed more appeared to take their place.

"We can't go on like this forever. We will run out of ammo eventually." Miranda suggested.

"EDI, how long?" John asked through comm.

"ETA 5 minutes, Commander." EDI replied immediately.

About four minutes passed when John's comm channel came alive. "Commander we have got a problem here." Joker said.

"What's going on Joker?"

"My connection with the system is terminated, Commander. You have to manually reconnect me with the system." EDI said.

"Damn!" John cursed.

"I will do it, Commander." Miranda said. "We are running out of ammo and won't last much longer at this rate. We have to get the defense towers online."

"You won't be able to reach there and work on it in the middle of this gun fires." Samara added.

"I have my ways. Besides we are running out of options." Miranda said determined. She wasn't about to budge from her decision. This had to be done.

"All right." John agreed against his better judgement. "Everyone give Miranda covering fire."

For a moment Miranda looked in his eyes which were full of concern for her. With a small reassuring smile, she went past him towards the control, sneaking behind the numerous crates that lay scattered around the area. The Collectors didn't spot her, as she crept from cover to cover.

"EDI, I will manually establish a connection with you any minute now." Miranda whispered in her comm.

"I am ready, Miss Lawson." EDI acknowledged.

Miranda eyes the controls from her cover and looked for any Collectors nearby. So far all of them were busy against the gun fires combined with biotic and tech attacks. She saw they weren't paying much attention towards her. Silently she proceeded the controls and begin to establish a connection with the Normandy. She quickly typed in the codes to re-establish the connection and dashed for cover. But she was too late. A bug like machine came flying down and crashed on the ground sending shockwaves in every direction. The shockwave send Miranda flying few feet away and crash against a pile of crates. It begin to glow and took no damage from the team's attack.

"Miranda, you okay? Miranda!" John shouted.

Groggily Miranda got herself out from under the crates. From the pain in her sides she realized she must have broken a rib. She saw the machine approaching her, but the team was able to distract it. So she ran ignoring the pain in her midsection. Everyone was so much preoccupied with the large machine including Miranda, that they didn't see a Collector aimed its rifle straight at Miranda's back.

John saw Miranda was running back towards him at great speed but in the next second he saw in horror that she stopped suddenly looking down at her chest. Then she looked straight at him and collapsed on the ground. John stood like a statue as he saw the whole incident played before his very eyes. One second she was running and next second she is lying on the ground with a small hole in the middle of her chest.

"By the Goddess! No!" Samara whispered to herself. Her eyes wide with fear.

Something broke inside John. Everyone saw in awe as he used the Nova technique and send the Collector flying away. Tears blurred his vision. He couldn't think straight when she pulled her upper body against his chest. "Miri! Please! Wake up! Please!" He pleaded to her unmoving form but she didn't respond because she was dead. "No! Please! No!" He begin to sob holding her body tight against his chest.

Meanwhile others managed to deplete the shield of the machine and caused sufficient damage to the machine. But it was still causing havoc.

John looked at her peaceful face again. Her beautiful face. The face that always managed to give him peace even at his darkest moment. But now she is gone. Never to return again. He will never get to see her beautiful smile again. Her blue eyes sparkling with mischief is now closed. Everything was lost to him. He felt hollow from inside. But…. They will pay for what they have done. They have killed her. Killed the one who was everything to him.

John gritted his teeth in anger as his body begin to shake with pure rage and a black aura begin to appear around his body.

"No! No!" Samara panicked. This is what she feared. That's why she came immediately to their aid but she failed. He is beginning to lose control. She didn't dare to imagine what will happen if he really loses control. As she observed him cradling the body of the woman in his arms she could see the black aura around him. Samara's eyes widened with fear. She begin to panic internally.

The team begin to concentrate their fire on the machine but it was still alive. Suddenly a shockwave came out of nowhere and send them crashing against the walls. They saw stars in their eyes. When their vision cleared their eyes widened in awe. John Shepard was looking at the machine with pure rage in his inhuman eyes. His blue eyes were pitch black and his entire body was also glowing with a black aura. Within the blink of an eye he was near the machine and with a massive punch he broke one its legs. The machine crumbled down on the ground helplessly. He turned his head around and observed more Collectors approaching him. With a slight wave of his hand he sent a shockwave towards them which melted the Collectors into thin air.

"This is unreal." Jack whispered. Her mouth was hanging open.

John grabbed the broken leg of the machine and stabbed its body with it. Immediately sparks begin to fly and the machine exploded into small tiny pieces. The defense guns were already online and the Collector ship had to leave against the massive fire power. Everything returned to normal around the colony except that they took all the colonists with them and Miranda Lawson was dead.

John slowly knelt down beside Miranda and again took her in his arms. He hid her face against her chest and begin to cry again, not caring that he had an audience.

Ashley attempted to move forward and comfort him but Samara grabbed her wrist and stooped her. "You shouldn't. He will kill you instantly."

"He will never kill me!" Ashley protested.

"He will because he has lost all his sanity. But we must calm him down otherwise…" Samara said.

"Otherwise what?" Garrus questioned looking at John with sad eyes.

"You don't want to know." Samara replied.

John pulled his face away from her chest to look into her face. She looked as if she was sleeping without any care in the world. He looked down at his palm which was red from her blood. His mind was overwhelmed. What can he do? What will do? He can't go on without her. Never. He survived all those years with the hope that he will find her again and that he did. But now she is gone. Forever, never to return again. She had brought him back from dead. She did the impossible. John looked up at her face again with a determination on his face. Now it's his turn. He had to get her back. There is no other choice because John can't function without his Miri. He will get her back now.

Samara saw in astonishment along with everyone when his body begin to glow brighter than ever. She saw him touching the wound on her chest with his eyes closed. A minute went by but nothing happened. Then without any warning, a blue biotic aura begin to surround Miranda's body and she begin to glow. Everyone saw with wide eyes that the wound on Miranda's chest was closed when he removed his hand from there. But there were consequences. Blood begin to come out from his ears and nose but he didn't stop. Slowly his skin begin to crack and they could see more blood coming out from the cuts.

"What is he doing?" Ashley said in panic. "He is going to kill himself."

"Theirs is nothing we can do about that Chief Williams. But as his teammates you must know one thing – He needs to survive but so does she. Without her, he won't be able to exist."

"How is he doing that?" Jack asked surprised.

"No one knows. No one knows what he is capable of." Samara answered.

Suddenly they saw the biotic aura around them disappear and he collapsed on the ground breathing heavily. The ground begin to soak with his blood.

"Joker we need emergency evacuation. Now!" Garrus yelled in panic. He could see that his friend was fading away fast.

Within seconds they got to him and begin to supply medi-gel on his wounds. As they were busy checking his wounds they didn't see another body moving beside them. They noticed when they heard an inaudible groan where Miranda's body lay. They turned around and their eyes bulged. Miranda was sitting on the ground unharmed. She had no signs of injury on her body.

"What happened?" She asked groggily. Then she noticed _him_ lying in the pool of his own blood. She was beside him within the blink of an eye. She cradled his head on her lap and looked at the others. "What happened to him?"

"He brought you back. From death." Samara answered with a tiny smile. She couldn't believe the whole incident herself. Sure she knew that he possess incredible power but bringing a dead person back to live was beyond her imagination. The incident was truly divine and she thanked the Goddess for letting her witness it with her own eyes. She was blessed.

"John….." Miranda whispered with tear-filled eyes.

Hearing her voice he opened his eyes. For a moment his eyes searched for her and once he located her, he gave her a small grin. Miranda couldn't help herself but smile in return. He reached towards her to touch her cheek to make himself sure that he isn't dreaming and she is really there alive. Miranda caught his hand and placed his palm on her cheek while keeping the smile on her face. It was a smile of happiness.

"You are….. safe." He whispered.

She nodded, "Yes, I am safe. Thanks to you, John Shepard." She smiled. But he didn't respond as he was already unconscious from the loss of blood.

 _ **Note: I hope you will like this chapter. Well, things have changed for Miranda but what has changed for her will be revealed in the next chapter. I know that Miranda is different here, showing her emotions in public but you must understand that she didn't care whether it is in public or in private when it comes to John.**_

 _ **Ashley and Kaidan won't join them on Normandy in the next chapter. I wanted to do it but at last I saw that their hatred for Cerberus will never let them join John's squad. Here is one difference between Ashley and Miranda. Both loves Shepard. Yes Miranda loves him like no one else but that's not the point. You see although Ashley loved Shepard she wasn't ready to follow him anywhere as she said she would. But Miranda is and will be ready to follow him anywhere and Shepard knows that.**_

 _ **Well this note is for my story only. I know there are several Ashley fans out there and I do not intend to hurt their feelings and make the character look bad. Ashley is a good person and a great soldier but she has some issues regarding trust. I don't blame her for suspecting Cerberus but in my opinion she should've trust John, like Garrus did.**_

 _ **Anyways review and let me know if you don't like any part. I will try to improve or change it if it does not conflict with my storyline.**_ __


	47. Revelations

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

A group of guards were escorting prisoners to a large palace through the streets of an ancient city. The houses, shops, streets and other buildings all are the picture of an old civilization. That wasn't true though. The technology here is far more advanced compared to the looks of the city. The truth is that the rulers of the kingdom chose to keep the looks of their kingdom old. No one knew the reason behind that and the people were perfectly happy with this decision.

The prisoners looked battered, weak and badly beaten. They could hardly stay on their feet. Occasionally one or two prisoners, collapsed on the ground from exhaustion but the guards' whips forced them to get back on their feet.

"Please! Let me go! I have a family!" One of the prisoners pleaded with tears in his eyes.

The guards just laughed and shoved him forward. Common people in the streets saw everyday how brutally the guards tortured their prisoners but they were too afraid to protest because if they protest it will be their turn to get imprisoned and tortured by the guards. The guards take common, innocent people as prisoners once every two months. The guards escorts them to the palace and they were never seen again. People believes that either they are killed or taken as slaves to work in the palace.

About ten years ago a small group of men formulated a plan to get rid of this problem. They just couldn't sit idle because any day it could be their turn to disappear but they had a mole in the group and was betrayed. People wanted to forget about what happened to the ones who tried to go against the _Emperor._ Sure they were killed, but the Emperor instilled fear in the heart of the common people so no one dare to oppose him in the future. The Emperor is a very cruel and vile man. Rumours are that he can crush a human being with his bare arms easily but no one knows for sure because no one saw him and whoever did, they didn't live to tell the story. The Emperor made sure of that. The people here always lives in fear, anticipating that it would be his/her turn to be taken away by the guards. No one had one bit of piece in their mind. But things weren't this bad from the beginning. This was a peaceful empire, ruled by the kindest rulers people ever knew of. People were happy during those times. There was peace. People could live their day happily. But one day, the Emperor came and murdered the King and the Queen with his own hands and everything fell apart. Once which was heaven, was turned into hell within a day. Stories are told that the Emperor has a powerful army whom no one can defeat or kill. The entire empire was literally crushed by the Emperor's soldiers within a single day. But the Emperor didn't kill the daughter of the King and the Queen, instead she was taken as a prisoner. Since that day, the entire kingdom has fallen under the hands of the Emperor, and no one had ever seen the Princess again, the rightful heir to the throne. Soon, the Emperor's powers begin to spread and he took control of all the neighbouring kingdoms one by one. Their rulers vowed their allegiance to the Emperor and chose to serve him for the sake of their kingdom. None dared to go against the evil ruler.

Once the Emperor got the entire planet under him, he killed the advisor of the original King. That man, Sir Appius was kept locked in the dungeons and tortured daily. No one knew why, but it was clear that the Empire wanted something from him and perhaps he got what he wanted, otherwise Appius wouldn't have been killed. People had no doubt that he was a good man and loyal to the King but even he crumpled under the cruelty and the torture inflicted upon him by the Emperor himself. But it is said that while the Sir Appius was dying, he foretold that, one day the Emperor will invite his own death himself. Appius was not an ordinary man, he had the ability of foretelling of future events. It wasn't a gift. He made some researches and studied on the subject of Prophesy, while working as the advisor of the King. Some say that he even warned the King that one day, the Emperor will come but he couldn't give any advice to prevent the situation. The invasion was inevitable.

But the people cannot wait for the Prophesy to come true because the cruelty and torture of the Emperor on the common people has worsened for the last two years. Now people's back are against the wall and they are willing to fight back to protect their loves ones. Secretly, without the knowledge of the Emperor a rebellion has been formed but it is not enough to go against the Emperor himself. So they made their mission to rescue the Princess who is now old enough to become the Queen. The rebellion needs a leader and who can be better than the future Queen herself. Their problem was that they had no idea where the Emperor kept their future Queen imprisoned and without the knowledge of the precise location, that is going blind means only inviting death to themselves and let the Emperor know about the secret rebellion. So, they planned to seize hold of one of the palace guards and to extract a plan of the castle from him including the location of the Princess. The rebellion had asked for help secretly to the neighbouring kingdoms and they agreed to help. But their plan to capture a palace guard wasn't successful because the guards always roams around the city in groups and if they were attacked, the other guards will be alerted and in turn the Emperor will not hesitate to kill each and every living people in the kingdom. So, they had no other option but wait.

 **SOMEWHERE IN ALLIANCE SPACE**

"I still can't believe the Commander is working with Cerberus." Kaidan shook his head in shame. "I wouldn't have believed if I didn't saw it with my own eyes. Adding to that, Garrus has also joined Cerberus."

Ashley sat on a crate with her chin resting on her hands, staring at nothing. She was there with Kaidan but her mind was elsewhere. She was replaying the whole event of Horizon over and over again in her mind. So she didn't concentrate on what Kaidan was rambling about. She still can't believe – Commander Shepard, the hero of Citadel, the first human Spectre has joined Cerberus. He is working with the terrorists. How can he?

 _After getting freed from the swarms, she and Kaidan heard voices and one of those voices she recognized very well. How can she forget that voice? The voice that commanded everything, the voice that can make people agree to go to hell. Her heart begin to race in anticipation as she and Kaidan begin to approach towards the source of the sound. And then she saw him, alive and perfectly healthy, as she remembered him from two years ago, talking with the mechanic. As she made herself visible, she saw the genuine and happy smile appear on his lips. It warmed her heart realizing that he is as happy as she is to see him, alive, again. But when he started a casual conversation like nothing has changed, she snapped at him. She didn't mean to, but she did._

What made her curious was that woman beside him. She was beautiful.

Yeah, Ashley had to admit it that she was beautiful. Immensely.

But who was she? She acted with him, as if he was her property. That woman even defended him, when Ashley tried to accuse him of betrayal. Then the later incidents against the Collectors – her dying, him losing control and bringing her back to life.

Bringing a dead person back alive? That was insane. Ashley couldn't think of anything about it. What has Cerberus done to him? But she is sure of one thing - John Shepard cares about that woman. A lot. She won't lie to herself that she isn't jealous. She is so, insanely. But what can she do about it? The answer is – _nothing._ How could he be so stupid? She is Cerberus. She has probably seduced him with her looks and body for him to their bidding but as Ashley thought more rationally, she deduced that John Shepard wasn't that shallow. He has met many beautiful women in his life and all were ready to get their claws on him but he never showed any interest. So what's the deal now? She is now sure that if Shepard cares for that woman, it isn't because of her looks, it's something beyond that.

Ashley rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked at Kaidan who was now talking with another marine. She sighed and bowed her head and closed her eyes.

 _What was her name?_

 _Miranda!_

Ashley remembered the name. She heard it from Shepard's mouth. As she thought about that woman and him, having sex, she felt nauseous. Then, something hit her and her eyes widened in realization – The initial of the signature in the message that was sent to Admiral Shepard was an 'M' and 'Miranda' starts with 'M'. Admiral Shepard's declaration that her son is safe and secure and also that he has someone who cares for him more than the Admiral herself.

Everything is making sense now. The sender of that message was Miranda and Admiral Shepard knows this 'Miranda', but how could she know about a Cerberus Operative? That's a big question.

 **NORMANDY, 2 HOURS LATER**

The only sound in the med-bay of the Normandy was the slow beeping of the heart monitor and slight sound of footsteps as Dr. Chakwas and Professor Mordin Solus walk around the room to treat a deeply unconscious John Shepard. If one would look at him, that person would immediately believe that he was dead but the slow beeping of the heart monitor is the assurance that he is still alive.

Miranda lay perched on her bed, looking at the unconscious and wounded face of John. His whole body is scarred but thanks to the covers draped on him, Miranda had to witness only the cuts on his face, where the skin cracked. Miranda is still not sure what happened. One minute, she was running for her life and she got hit from behind by something. Then she knew nothing. She woke up to see the cracked and bloody face of John, looking at her with an exhausted and relieved smile on his face. Then she saw him collapse to his side and lay unmoving.

They had managed to drive the Collectors away but the price was too high.

 _She almost lost him there._

"How is he, Doctor?" Miranda whispered.

"His condition is unchanged but he is stable. There is no risk of his life now. The blood transfusion helped. He lost a lot of blood." Dr. Chakwas explained. Then she looked at the sorrowful face of the young woman sitting in front of her. "How did this happen? Throughout my entire career I have never seen wounds like this." She gestured towards John's face.

"I don't know, Doctor. I….. Just don't know." Miranda said looking away trying to hide her tears which were threatening to fall. Seeing him like this was killing her.

"Hm." Dr. Chakwas whispered to herself thoughtfully looking at John. "Whatever happened to him, he lost all his energies and now he is completely exhausted. All the energies in his body were spent. Now he won't be able to even lift his finger." She paused looking at the worry in Miranda's face. "But there is nothing to worry. He will make a full recovery with sufficient amount of rest and food." She quickly added.

Miranda nodded with a small smile on her lips and stared at John's face for few moments. She wanted to run her fingers on his face, through his hair but she resisted the temptation. When she looked at the Doctor who is a mother figure to John, she realized that the woman is still staring at her, waiting for something. "Doctor, is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Um! Yes!" Dr. Chakwas replied hesitatingly. "I would suggest you to change your clothes, Miranda."

"Why? What about my clothes?" Miranda asked confused, looking down to scrutinise her dress. Then she realized why the Doctor is insisting to make her change the dress she is currently wearing. There is a large tear in her suit, right in the middle of her chest and her breasts were visible, not entirely, but it was barely covering anything. Now she also realized why the crew of the Normandy were gawking at her, especially the male members. She felt a sudden pant of anger and irritation towards the crew – Their Commander was in the verge of death and instead of worrying about him they were busy staring at her almost naked breasts.

 _How much pervert can people be?_ She thought.

Embarrassed, she quickly covered her chest with her left hand, while exiting the door of the med-bay. She quickly entered her office avoiding the eyes of the crew and changed into a black cat-suit. Upon exiting the room, she sent a death glare at the entire crew who was looking at her expectantly. Her Ice-Queen glare was enough to make them piss in their pants then and there. Everyone averted their eyes away from her and looked at anywhere but her. Satisfied, she strode past them and entered the med-bay again to see Mordin checking on John.

"His healing factor has kicked in. He should regain consciousness within the next twenty-four hours." Mordin said rapidly in his usual manner.

Miranda sighed in relief. She didn't know how much longer she would've managed to look at him in his state. When Mordin was sure that John is stable and in good condition he left for his lab. Miranda bent down near John's face and placed a soft kiss on the uninjured part of his forehead.

"Miranda, there's something else I would like to talk about when you are ready. This may come as quite a shock to you." Dr. Chakwas said. Seeing the look on her face she quickly added, "It's nothing bad, just surprising."

"I am ready now. Let's get this over with." Miranda replied in her usual Ice-Queen tone.

"For some diagnostics I ran a few scans of your body. The results are…. Well, quite astounding? Yeah, astounding definitely."

"What did you find?"

"You should see for yourself." Dr. Chakwas handed Miranda the data pad she was holding in her hand.

Miranda did a quick scan of the test results and her eyes widened in shock. She looked up towards Dr. Chakwas' face with wide eyes, "How is this possible?"

 **CITADEL PRESIDIUM, 1300 HOURS**

"This is unacceptable. One of the Council Spectres is working with Cerberus? We should take necessary actions before the situation gets out of our hands." The turian Councilor demanded.

"May I speak?" Anderson asked politely.

"You don't have to ask for our permission to speak Councilor Anderson. You are one of us. You can speak freely and we are most interested regarding what you want to say." The Asari Councilor said.

"Thank you." Anderson paused and turned away slightly from the Asari Councilor to face all the three Councilors. "We have heard that Commander Shepard is alive. It was only a rumour but his former crews Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko has confirmed that he is really alive. They have encountered him on Horizon and together they were able to stop the Collectors."

"The Collectors?" The Asari Councilor asked.

"I thought they are just myths." The Salarian Councilor added.

 _As you thought about the Reapers and is still ignorant of Shepard's warning._ Anderson thought but didn't say it out aloud. "The Collectors are indeed true and they deserted another colony on Horizon. Commander Shepard and his team only managed to rescue a handful of survivors."

"What is this to do with the Commander working for Cerberus?" The turian Councilor asked.

"I am getting to it." Anderson replied politely. He managed to remain calm on outside but internally he was getting irritated at the Council. Politics isn't really his strong suit. He is a marine. He belongs in the field. If it wasn't for Shepard, he would've stepped down from the position of Councilor long ago and he is sure that Udina would've been more than happy to take his position. _That bastard._ A small smirk crept on Anderson's face when he remembered that day, he punched Udina in the face to help Shepard escape with the Normandy. Seeing the other members of the Council waiting for him to speak, he cleared his throat, "We have made mistakes in the past of not believing Commander Shepard. It cost us dearly. We must also keep in mind what he did not only to save the Citadel but the Council too. So I am only requesting that he should be given a chance to speak for himself and hear what he has to say."

"You are right, Councilor Anderson. We will hear what the Commander has to say about his involvement with Cerberus. We owe him that." The Asari Councilor assured.

"Thank You. That's all I wanted to say. And what about his Spectre status?"

"We will decide about it after he is here and we hear his explanation." The Salarian Councilor said.

"That's fair." Anderson mumbled to himself.

"We want you to send a message to Commander Shepard, requesting him to meet us for an audience." The turian Councilor added.

"A message is already sent. I am expecting to hear from him any time." Anderson said.

"Very well, then this meeting is adjourned."

 **BACK TO THE NORMANDY**

Miranda strolled past the doors of the med-bay towards her cabin. She needed to think about the recent events or rather the changes for some time. _The Doctor was right, it is really quite a shock to me._ Miranda was about to unlock the door of her cabin but a feminine voice from behind halted her.

"Miranda, do you have a moment to talk?" It was Samara. The Asari was standing with her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes scanning Miranda.

"I am sorry to…" Miranda was in no mood to talk. There are a lot of things she needs to take care of now. So she was about to excuse herself for some time but the Asari stopped her again.

"It's a matter of utmost important. It can't wait." Samara insisted in her usual calm tone.

Miranda sighed wondering what the Asari wants with her. "Very well." She agreed.

"Can you make arrangements of a private place for our conversations? The matters I want to discuss with you is not for anyone else's ears."

Miranda nodded. "Follow me."

Miranda led the Asari inside her office. She gestured Samara to sit down on the sofa, while she took necessary precautions that they aren't overheard by any means. Assuring herself that they are secure, Miranda sat down on the opposite end of Samara and looked at her expectantly. "What do wish to talk about?"

"First, I would like to request you that you must give me honest answers, Miranda. Can you agree to that?"

Miranda nodded in reply.

When Samara got Miranda's full attention she begin to talk, "You know why I am here, Miranda. I am here to help him understand his own powers. He must gain control over them, otherwise the consequences can be rather… severe. What you witnessed back there in Horizon was just a glimpse of what he can really do. He lost all his inhibitions, the situation was almost out of hand. He could have easily killed us back there."

"Wait a minute!" Miranda stopped Samara. "Kill you and the others? Why would he do that? You are not his enemies."

"There are things you must understand. Whenever he loses control he doesn't know what he is doing, what is right or wrong. He only knows one things – Revenge." Samara paused looking at the confusion on Miranda's face. "Yes. Revenge. If you recall the past events you would realize that whenever he lost control, he gained unnatural powers and it was always because of you."

"Because of me?" Miranda asked, a little angry at the Asari's accusation.

"Yes. Everything that has happened with him or will happen, it's because of you. You are not responsible for this incidents in any way. But you must know that his unnatural powers, they are related to you. It only surfaces whenever you are in danger. Am I right?"

Miranda thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "Now I got to think about it, yes, you are right. How do I stop it?"

"You can't." Came the simple reply. "He will always put you above everything else and there's nothing you can do to change his mind. You are the source of his power, Miranda, in an indirect way of course. He draws motivation from, his will to fight, you are his reason to go on and fight the upcoming war."

"War?"

"We both know that the Reapers are coming."

"You know about the Reapers?"

"Yes. There is nothing we can do about the invasion. It is inevitable. We can only prepare ourselves for the inevitable but as far my knowledge no one is willing to believe the existence of the Reapers and the danger the entire galaxy is about to face."

Miranda nodded again but didn't say anything.

"There is nothing we can do to stop the Reapers. We are not strong enough to fight against the sentient machines."

"So you are saying that we will die and there is nothing we can do to prevent it?"

"Not entirely. There is hope though. There is only one being who can unite the galaxy and bring the downfall of the Reapers. I know what you are thinking." Samara said, looking at the surprised expression on Miranda's face. "It's him. Only he has the power to stop it but he is not ready yet. That's why I am here."

"I understand. I just always knew that he is important." Miranda whispered to herself. "But how am I related to this aside from the facts you told me earlier?"

"Miranda do you know what happened back there when you _died_?"

"No."

"He used every bit of his energy and whatever life he had in him to bring you back to life. You must have noticed that when you regained consciousness you were free of any injury. How did it happen? No it's not any fantasy tale. He pushed himself past his limit and healed you by taking your pain in him. That's why he is now unconscious and his skin cracked all over his body and I can see that certain parts of your body has changed to a great extent. I can feel it."

"You can feel it?" Miranda asked dumbfounded.

"I cannot feel that your body has changed somehow but I could feel the same power inside you what I feel in him. You are now truly one, whether you like it or not."

"You mean we are….. Soul-bonded?"

"No. I don't know anything about Soul-bonding concept. What I meant was that some of his powers now resides in you. You will soon see that your biotic abilities has also extended to a greater level. In time it will even surpass my own." Samara smiled.

"Biotic abilities?" Miranda looked down towards the floor. She looked….. Ashamed of herself. "I am sorry to disappoint you Samara, but I don't think I have biotic abilities any more. All of my implants are gone. I don't know how and without them I can't summon any biotics."

"Yes, you can. You can summon far more powerful biotics than you ever did."

"But my implants….. They are gone. How can I….?"

"Just try it, Miranda." Samara gave her a reassuring smile. "Trust me." She added.

Miranda nodded and concentrated. She immediately begin to glow blue with her biotics as they charged. She also noticed that the aura of her biotics is far brighter than ever before. "How?" That was all she managed to say.

Samara smiled. "I am afraid, I can't answer that."

"You mean you can't or you won't?"

"I can't because I don't know myself. No one knows. Humans don't born with natural biotic abilities but he did. He was born with biotics and they are too powerful. All I can say to your question that you can use biotics without any implants because he can."

"I think I am beginning to understand now."

Samara let out a small smile. "There was a prophecy made, we don't know by who or when, it said that when the whole galaxy will be at the brink of extinction, a hero will rise to prevent it but he can't do it without his other half. It's you, Miranda. It has always been you and always will be. The Prophesy also hinted about his unnatural powers and there are only a handful of my people who has the knowledge about this. So for several years we trained ourselves to sense his power. Distance doesn't matter, whenever he brings out his true self we can sense him. But we also knew that his powers are erratic and I was chosen to aid him."

"I understand." Miranda mumbled. These were all a lot to take in a short time.

"But there's one more thing you must know, Miranda and it is the most important thing of all." Samara paused. Miranda looked at her curious. "The thing is – _you must not die_. If you die, he won't be able to exist and without him this galaxy is doomed. I know that no one controls the fate, but you must do your best to stay alive, for the sake of the galaxy and most importantly for the one you love. So, you see, the fate of the entire galaxy rests on your shoulders." Samara was already standing when she told the last sentence to Miranda. When she attempted to leave her cabin, she looked at the tensed face of the human woman, sitting on the couch. She felt bad for her. "I didn't mean to burden you with this knowledge, Miranda but after the recent events it was necessary for you to know. I am sorry." Samara apologized before she unlocked the door and left, leaving Miranda to her thoughts.

After Samara left, Miranda got up from the couch and looked at the data pad in her hand. She read it again to assure herself that she isn't hallucinating. The recent events and the Justicar's revelations shook her to the very core. But there is also a bright side to everything, isn't it? A large smile crept upon her face as she re-read the data pad again. She was happy even after learning all the truth. How can she not be? Apart from that she will do everything for him and that meant just anything. She saw her reflection on her computer screen smiling at her and she couldn't do anything to wipe that smile away from her face while resting her hands on her belly.

 _ **Note: Please. Review. I am requesting to every reader to leave a review. It is important for me to get your opinions on my story now. This will affect my future chapters.**_


	48. A mother's gift

" _What has Cerberus done to you, Shepard? Are you even a human anymore?!" Ashley pointed her finger at John in disgust. "You are not the man anymore, whom I would have followed anywhere. Oh! I forgot! You are not even a human anymore!" She spat and disappeared from John's vision._

" _John, you were my brother but not anymore." Garrus too, turned his back on John._

" _You are not my son!" John's mother turned away from him in disgust._

" _I thought of you as my own son, John but things have changed." Dr. Chakwas also turned her back at him._

 _The reactions of his crews and other friends were same which includes Joker, Anderson, Tali, Liara._

 _John had tears in his eyes. Everyone is leaving him. But why? Why I am not human to them? Then he remembered the logs he read in Cerberus base when he first gained consciousness. Cybernetic implants and many other advanced techs were used to bring him back. He lives now, but does he really? What lies underneath his skin? Flesh, blood, bones or something else? He felt devastated. But there was still hope. He knew that there is one person who will never turn her back on him._

 _Miranda. Where is she? He needs her._

 _As if hearing his thoughts the med-bay door chimed open and Miranda stepped inside. A small smile appeared on John's face seeing her. He extended his hand towards her, silently asking for her to come close. But she didn't, she didn't even smile. The smile disappeared from John's face._

" _Miri…. Please!" He pleaded._

 _She looked at him with her gorgeous blue eyes but there was no warmth or affection for him. "What do you want, Shepard? And don't call me 'Miri'. You don't have the right to call me by that name anymore."_

" _Wha…. What do you mean? Why?"_

" _Why? Did you even had a good look at yourself Shepard? You are nothing but a walking corpse, a result of Cerberus' experiments." She replied harshly._

 _John just stared at her. There was nothing to say._

" _I am leaving and I don't want to see your face again in the future." Miranda added._

" _I don't believe you!" John almost yelled in grieve. Now tears were falling uncontrollably from his eyes. "This is a dream. This is not happening!" He yelled grabbing his head._

" _This is very real, Shepard. We are leaving." It was Jacob. He stepped beside Miranda, placing his right arm around her waist._

 _John gritted his teeth in anger and clutched the metal part of the bed, crushing it under his strong grip. To his surprise, Miranda didn't extract herself away from Jacob, instead she leaned towards him accepting his embrace and gave him an affectionate smile._

" _No! No! No! Please no! Miri! Don't leave me." John pleaded._

" _I told you not to call me by that name again!" She snapped at him. He flinched at her harsh tone. "Why will I want to stay with you? You are nothing but a corpse! Besides, do you want me unhappy Shepard?"_

" _No. No. Never." John whispered._

" _Then let me go. I am happy with Jacob and we want to start a new life together." Miranda said, her voice was softer this time. "Can you do that for me John?"_

 _John looked up startled. She just called him 'John', not 'Shepard'. He sighed and decided to let her go. She will be happy. "Anything for you." He agreed softly._

 _Miranda gave him a forced smile and pulled Jacob away from the med-bay. But John saw through the glass they shared a long kiss before heading towards her room. From the looks of their faces he can deduce what was in their mind. His heart clenched. He was dying from inside. He can feel it but he knew it's for the best. He can't imagine a life without her, so it's better that he is dying._

 _Distraught, he turned away from the observation glass, but his eyes caught something else. He got down from his bed and stood in front of a mirror. Immediately he gasped and screamed. In the mirror he saw his own reflection but it wasn't the same. The skin on his face was gone. There was nothing human about his reflection on the mirror. The face of a human husk was simply staring back at him through the mirror._

John sat up straight on his bed in the med-bay. His heart was hammering from his recent nightmare. Sweat was dripping from his forehead and falling on his hands. The sheet on which he was lying was soaked wet from the sweat of his body. Dr. Chakwas was at his side examining his vitals since it got off the chart when he was having the nightmare.

"Are you okay, John?" Dr. Chakwas asked in a motherly tone.

"I am okay." He answered in a low tone, unsure of himself. He really wasn't okay. The dream shook him to his core.

"Your heart rate was off the charts. I thought you were going to crash. You definitely aren't okay." She stated.

"I am fine." He insisted stubbornly.

Dr. Chakwas checked his vitals again, and saw that they are back to normal. "If you say so." She sighed.

"Can I leave?" John asked. He wanted to be alone for some time.

"You are free to go but you are not cleared for duty, yet." Dr. Chakwas scolded him. She knew perfectly well how stubborn he can be.

"Okay." That's all he said before getting dressed and leaving the med-bay.

He went inside the elevator and went straight for his quarters. He needed some time to think. When he sat down on his bed he recalled the events of his dream. The people he loved and cared about accused him of not being a human anymore. He looked down at his hands and examined them. They looked perfectly normal to him except the few cuts and scrapes which are still healing.

 _Am I really human anymore? I was dead. How can anyone be brought back from dead?_ He thought. Maybe the words of accusation he heard from his friends and loved ones in his nightmare were true after all. He is an experiment of Cerberus, only to serve their purpose of eliminating the Collectors and the Reapers. Nothing more, nothing less. He is just a tool. But what about her? It was her, who brought him back. She will never do something sick like that to anyone, least of all him. Then, maybe she doesn't know. Perhaps Cerberus manipulated her to believe that she was bringing him back, just the way he was. But now he has doubts that he is not the way he was. Then how can he bring her into this? She is devoted to him, he knew that. She will neither doubt nor leave him under any circumstances. But for her happiness and a better future he must let her go as she told him in her dream. He has nothing to offer. Heck, he is not even a human anymore and she shouldn't be with him.

At that moment the door of his cabin opened and the very person he was thinking about came in with a genuine smile on her face. Seeing the bright smile on her face, he begin to regret what he is about to tell her. But for her sake he must do it. She must know who…. No what he is.

She came near him and embraced him from behind placing a loving kiss on his cheek then hid her face against his neck.

"You should stay away from me." John said in a softer tone.

Miranda extracted her face away from his neck to have a good look at him. "I don't think you are smelling, John." She teased. But he grabbed her hands and pushed them away gently, which were around his waist.

"I am serious, Miri. You should stay away from me." John said, getting up from his position.

Miranda was stunned at his behaviour. He was asking her to stay away from him. Him. Concern immediately flooded her mind. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "What is wrong, John? You know you can talk to me."

"I know but you should do as I told you to." John said stubbornly.

"No!" Miranda replied. "Why are you trying to insist me to stay away from you?"

John turned around to face her. "Look at me, Miri. Have a good look at me. What am I? I am just a walking corpse. Nothing else."

Miranda was stunned at his answer. John continued ignoring her, "I don't know what lies underneath my skin. Whether it is flesh and blood or something else. I know you want to stay with me but I cannot be selfish to ruin your life, Miri. I can't give you anything. I am not a human anymore."

Miranda always understood him like no else and this time also she realized his pain and self-doubts. She placed her palm on his cheek gently to get his attention. "I understand how you are feeling John. But before I tell about your physiology, I must remind you that I am not a normal human anymore. I was just an experiment. I was nothing but a tool to my father. But you showed me that I am more than a tool, I am allowed to love and being loved in return. You showed me I am human too."

"That's different." John mumbled not meeting her eyes.

"It's not different but I don't want to argue with you about it. Now about what lies beneath your skin – You have flesh, bone and blood like another normal human. The cybernetics implants that we installed to fix your body is long gone. I don't know how, but it's gone. You are much more than a human, John." She said the last part after placing her hand on his chest. "When you risked your life and brought me back, you vanished all my biotic implants too."

John was astonished. He vanished her implants? How? But he felt sorry. He knew that without her implants she won't be able to use her biotics anymore. "I am sorry." He apologized.

"Why are you sorry?" Miranda asked.

"Without your implants you won't be able to use your biotics, and it's my fault." John replied, ashamed. He didn't regret that he brought her back from the brink of death but he regrets that he took away her biotic abilities.

"You don't understand, John. Look." She gestured at herself and glowed brightly with her biotics.

John's eyes widened. "How?" That was all he managed to say.

"It's you, John. You…. Cured me." She said with a smile then hugged him tightly, placing her head on his shoulder.

"I cured you? How? I don't understand."

"Neither do I but I don't care." She said after giving him a peck on the lips. "And no matter what you say, you can't get rid of me. I am at your side whether you want or not."

"I figured that out." He said with a small smile gracing his lips. "Believe me, Miri. That's the last thing I wanted too. It's just…"

"I know you are being noble as always. You ass." She said and kissed him more which he gladly returned. "But tell me, what brought this up."

"Nightmare." John whispered burying his face into her silky black hair and letting his tears drop which he was holding back. "Thank you, Miri."

"For what?" She asked smiling.

"For not leaving." He whispered back.

Miranda pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. "I will never leave you, John. I promise." She sealed her promise with a loving kiss on his lips which he hungrily returned. Miranda smiled at his enthusiasm and begin to pull him towards the bed with their lips still locked. She pulled her lips away from him and pushed him back down on the bed. She leaned down and grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, tearing it with a quick pull of her hand. John lay bare chested on the bed looking at Miranda with wide eyes. She gave him a seductive smile and begin to unzip her dress slowly and deliberately. John gulped at the sight of her creamy skin. He felt all his blood rushing south very quickly. Miranda smirked at his reaction and pulled away her dress. She now stood half-naked on top of him with only her underwear. She felt his eyes roaming over every inch of her body and she liked the fact that only she has the power to make the great John Shepard speechless.

She leaned down on top of him and begin to kiss his jaw. John's body shivered with pleasure. This is the most intimate he ever got with her and there is also the fact that he has never done this before but neither did she. John gasped when he felt Miranda's breast was pressed against his chest. He placed his hands at the side of her face and pulled her face up to his level so he can devour her lips. Suddenly he felt Miranda's hands unbuckled his belt quickly and in one swift motion she threw it away to a corner of the room. Miranda placed her hands on his chest and pulled herself up, then she placed her hands on the waistband of his pants. Their eyes met each other in confirmation and she undid his pants for him leaving him only in his boxer. They both stared at each other for a few seconds and then lips crashed on lips when John pulled her down on top of him. Before they got lost in passion, Miranda darkened the room and covered herself and John with the bed sheet.

 **NEXT DAY**

"It's good to see you to be back on your feet, Commander." Kelly greeted him. John smiled in return. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I am fine." John answered. Actually he is more than fine. A goofy smile appeared on his face as he remembered the event of the last night. "Is there anything I should know?" He asked composing himself.

"There's a private message awaiting for you, Commander." Kelly replied.

John checked his message and saw it was from Anderson. "I will take this into my cabin." He informed Kelly while entering the elevator. Kelly nodded.

" _On the off chance that the rumours are true and you actually are alive, I need you to come and talk to me on the Citadel. A lot has changed in the last two years. You put me on the Council, and it's only fair that you be allowed to speak for yourself about what we've been hearing."_

John read Anderson's message and gave a quick reply stating that he will be there within the next 24 hours. He was eager to go there because he can't wait to see his the face of his mother. John smiled to himself imagining the reaction of his mother after seeing him. He didn't know that a message was already to send to his mother with the news of his arrival on Citadel.

John got up from his chair and informed Joker to head to Citadel. He realized that he needs to talk with Samara and the rest of his crew but he felt too tired because of his healing wounds and last night's activities. With a smile on his face he lay down on his bed and instantly fell asleep.

 **CITADEL, FEW HOURS LATER**

John gave his crew a break after landing on the Citadel. He knew they needed it. Besides, he has some personal matters to attend on Citadel. As he approached the security, a hooded woman appeared in the screen on the right wall and addressed him directly, "Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard."

"Silence is golden." John replied. He knew the identity of the mysterious woman – Kasumi Goto. A master thief.

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"What's with the password and the sneaking around? Are you in trouble or something?"

"I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way. I also needed to make sure all this was legit and I have no doubts now – you are the real Commander Shepard."

"Has Cerberus filed you in on the mission?"

"Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find, I guess."

"Good to have you along, Kasumi. You ready to go?"

"I travel light….. I've already slipped my things aboard your ship. I'm really glad you're helping me out with the heist. Can't wait to see how you look in formal wear." She flirted.

"What does formal wear have to do with anything?" John raised his eyebrows, confused.

"I guess you could go with what you have on, but you'd kind of stick out at fancy party. I'm looking for my old partner's graybox. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back. It'll be fun and if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun." She paused. "We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there and talking to an advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepard." John heard her voice no more.

He stepped towards the security. "Obviously security has tightened since we were last here." Garrus observed.

When the security scan was complete on John and Garrus the C-Sec security guard spoke in his comm to shut the system down. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir." The turian guard apologised. "Our scanners are picking up false readings. They seem to think you're….ahhh…. dead."

"I was listed as MIA a couple of years ago." John replied.

"Would you mind checking in with my Captain? He can reinstate you in the system. He's just past the scanners, on your right."

"Sure."

They stepped through the door and saw the Captain of the C-Sec, sitting in front of a computer.

"I see the problem already, Commander Shepard. My console says you're dead." Captain Bailey addressed John.

"You're not worried I'm some imposter claiming to be me?" John asked.

"We have the best screening equipment in the galaxy. Those scanners can sample DNA from skin flakes. Hell, if you've unregistered gene mods, they can even figure those out."

"Your sergeant said you could help with that."

"Usually you'd have to go through the Station Security Administration to reactivate your IDs. Then to customs and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself. And probably a stop by the treasury. "Spending a year dead" is a popular tax dodge. But I can see you're a busy man. So how about I just press this button right here and call it done?"

"Couldn't one of us or both of us get into trouble for that?"

"There's no way to fool the DNA scanners in that tunnel. You're you. Why wait a long lines and fill out a mass of useless hardcopy paperwork to get to the same place? The Council does everything by the book. They've had thousands of years to write it. Sometimes things need to get done without a committee vote."

"That'd be great."

Bailey pressed some keys on his computers. "Done. You're good to go. You should head to the Presidium, though. The Council would probably like to know that one of their lost Spectres is still kicking."

"I will. Having access to the Council and the Spectres' resources would be useful."

"Yeah. The Council can get anything. Best thing about working C-Sec is that any equipment, information, or money you need, you get it. Anyway. Something else you need? Or I can get back to work?"

"No. That will be all. Thank you." John said.

As they headed to the transport Garrus said, "Bailey seems to be a decent guy." To which John agreed.

 **PRESIDIUM, FEW MINUTES LATER**

"This meeting would be more productive if Udina was to join us." The Asari Councilor said.

"My advisor is unavailable. As Councilor, I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance." Anderson said. "Shepard will be here any mo….." He stopped when the door to his right opened and John stepped in. "Oh, Commander. We were just talking about you."

"It's been a long time, Anderson. I hope the last couple of years have treated you right." John shook hands with Anderson.

"There've been some rough spots. It's good to have you back." Anderson replied with a warm smile.

"We've heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are….. Unsettling." The Salarian Councilor's words got John's attention. He looked at their holographic image in the room.

"We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard. We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth." The Asari Councilor added.

"The Collectors are abducting human colonists in the Terminus Systems. Worse, we think they are working for the Reapers." John said.

"The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction! Your colonists knew this when they left Council Space." The Turian Councilor accused.

"You are missing the important part Councilor. The Reapers are involved." Anderson cut in.

"Ah, yes, Reapers. The immortal race of sentient star ships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim." The Turian Councilor countered.

John looked at Anderson with an irritated look on his face. "Shepard, no one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the Reapers. Only you and your crew ever spoke with Sovereign. I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others think Saren was behind the geth attacks." Anderson explained.

"Saren was an organic. The geth would never accept him as their leader. They only followed him because he was Sovereign's agent!" John tried to explain but the Council still refused to believe him.

"Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual. He convinced the geth the Reapers were real…. Just as he convinced you." The Asari Councilor said.

"It was part of his plan to attack the Citadel. The Reapers are just a myth. Only you insist on perpetuating." The Turian Councilor added.

"We believe that you believe it, but that doesn't make it true." The Asari Councilor said.

"Go back to Ilos and talk to Vigil. Or just look at what's left of Sovereign. It's obvious the technology is more advanced than ours!" John almost raised his voice in irritation but controlled himself at the last second.

"The hologram on Ilos is no longer functional, and we have found nothing to suggest that Sovereign was not a geth creation." The Salarian Councilor said.

"The geth are capable of remarkable technological achievements. This is why probably Saren recruited them."

"This Reaper theory proves just how fragile your mental state is. You have been manipulated by Cerberus and before them, by Saren."

"I kept Saren from conquering the Citadel." John protested. _I am not mentally fit? That's what they are suggesting after what we went through. They don't even realize the danger we are in._

"We are in a difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus, an avowed enemy of the Council. This is treason, a capital offense." The Asari Councilor accused John.

"That is too far. Shepard is a hero." Anderson raised his voice in anger. "I'm on the Council too, and I won't let this whitewash continue."

"Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgement, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support." The Asari Councilor said to diffuse the tension which was growing in the room.

"Shepard, if you keep a low profile and restrict your operations to the terminus Systems, the Council is willing to offer your reinstatement as a Spectre." The Turian Councilor said.

"What does that mean? Will I need to start filing reports?" John asked.

"That won't be necessary. This is a show of good faith on our part. We cannot be involved in an investigation regarding the missing colonies in the Terminus Systems. But Spectre reinstatement shows our support of you personally." The Salarian Councilor explained.

 _It's better than nothing._ John thought. "I accept your offer. It's good to have the Council on my side."

"Good luck with your investigation, Shepard. We hope for a quick resolution… and a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus." That being said the meeting was concluded.

John turned to face Anderson. "Well. That went better than I expected."

"You realize the Council's offers just symbolic. They won't actually do anything." Anderson said.

"Even if they don't help, I might as well be on good terms."

"True enough. Don't worry about the Council or the Alliance. I'll find some way to keep them off your back. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you keep to the Terminus Systems." Anderson assured.

At that moment the door opened again and Udina stepped in. "Anderson, we need to talk about…" Whatever he was about to say, remain unspoken when his eyes fell on John. Udina's eyes widened in disbelief. He never really believed the rumours but now he could see the rumours were true. A dead man was standing in front of him, very much alive. "Shepard! What are you doing here?"

"Stopped to see how Anderson was doing." John said casually.

"You don't have to cover for me." Anderson stated. Then he looked at Udina, "I invited Shepard here to speak with the Council. We just finished our meeting."

"You what? Councilor, do the words political shit-storm mean anything to you?" Udina asked. From his voice Anderson realized he isn't pleased but he didn't care what Udina thinks.

"The Council reinstated my Spectre status. They're just happy I'm staying out in the Terminus Systems." John informed.

"Yes….. I could see how that arrangement works best for both sides. But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting with me first, Councilor." Udina replied.

"I don't answer to you, Udina. Why don't you go to your office and think about that for a while?" Anderson stated firmly.

Udina flinched. "Of course, Councilor. Good day to both of you." He said before departing.

"Sorry about that. Udina's never gotten over the fact that I got the Council position instead of him. Sometimes I need to put him in place." Anderson said.

"Udina's just doing his job."

"True enough. He's got his uses and if you want done something on the Citadel, he knows who can make it happen. Plus, he's always happy to attend all those formal diplomatic functions I can't be bothered with."

"How have the last couple of years treated you?"

"Serving on the Council isn't how I planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal. It's nightmare stuff. Can't blame others for not wanting to believe it. But I know how important it is, so I keep trying. Fight the good fight, right?" Anderson asked leaning forward on the railing.

"I'm surprised no one can tell Sovereign isn't a geth technology. Didn't they examine the wreckage?"

"We don't have much to look at. Pieces of it rained all over the station. It was chaos. We secured as much we could, but between the keepers and a whole lot of unauthorized salvage, there's no way to account how much was lost in the battle against Sovereign. Another reason they don't want to acknowledge what Sovereign was."

"How long did it take to get this place back up to speed after the battle?"

"Still counting. The main areas of commerce and the most populated wards are complete, but estimates for total restoration are sitting around five years. The keepers always surprises us, though. It's like our repairs are annoying. We'll put up an ugly new bulkhead and in a few days they've made it seamless. We never really thought of them as heavy lifters, and I have no idea where they get the resources. But we'd never get done without them." Anderson explained.

"Last I knew, we were still fighting holdouts."

"Here and there, but they are increasingly disorganized. It's long since stopped being called a war. More like clean up. Not that you can ever discount them, but we haven't had serious casualties for months. A civilian ship will spot an enclave and we send in a squad to clear it."

"Ashley and Kaidan, they both were on Horizon. They said they were looking into Cerberus."

"I know. I approved the mission. We had to find out if they were behind the missing colonists. I couldn't tell anyone without compromising the investigation. I'm sorry. I still don't trust Cerberus, but they were right about the Collectors abducting the colonists. Unfortunately, Williams and Kaidan didn't found anything to convince the Council that the Reapers are behind this or even they exist."

"I have no proof either but during the battle with the Collectors, once in a while a single Collector was getting possessed and it was changing into a more powerful and advanced Collector. And it talked with me directly. The voice was Harbinger's or Sovereign, whatever you call it." John said.

"It spoke to you?"

"Yes."

"That's interesting. What did it say?"

"Aside from that it wants to kill me? Nothing." John paused. "But I can't prove it. We have no recordings and I can't make anyone believe that it was Harbinger."

"Hm. So, how are you, Shepard?"

"I am all right."

"How did you survive after the attack on the Normandy?"

"I was dead, Anderson. But someone brought me back."

"You were dead and this person you are speaking of brought you back?"

"Yes."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know in details but cutting edge technology, perhaps?" John didn't feel comfortable going into details about this specific subject.

"I see but who is this person?"

"I am afraid I can't tell you that. But when the time comes you will meet her." John replied.

"Admiral Shepard claims to know her."

"My mother? Ah, yeah. They met each other once but it was a long time ago. I am surprised that my mom still remember her. Well, speaking of my mom, I have to go and meet her before I leave again." John said looking at Anderson.

"Very well, Shepard. I trust you and if you need anything else, you know where to find me." Anderson.

John nodded and left. On his way out he placed his hand on his comm signal and sent a message, "It's time."

 **CITADEL, ADMIRAL SHEPARD'S APARTMENT**

"Admiral, here is your delivery." One of Hannah's soldier handed her a small box and saluted.

"That will be all, for now. You may go." Hannah said after taking the small box from his hand. The soldier saluted again and left. She came into her bedroom and placed the box inside her safe. She is anxiously waiting for her son to arrive, since she heard from Anderson that he is coming today.

She made his favourite lunch but couldn't think of anything else that she could give to her son. His son only desires one thing and if she is not mistaken he already got that. She hope for Miranda to come too. She wants to know the young woman who captured her son's heart. She only met Miranda once, but she was just a child then. Now, she is a woman.

Interrupting her thoughts someone knocked on her door. _He is here._ Her heart raced with joy. She almost ran to her door and opened it to see her son standing there with a goofy smile on his face. She immediately closed the distance between them and hugged her son fiercely, hiding her face in his chest. All her emotions break lose at that point and she couldn't help but shed her tears in his chest. In response he encircled his arms around her and hugged her in return. "John….. John…." She murmured under her breath. She was beyond happy that she got her son back and it is possible only because of one person. And that particular person was standing right beside his son with a teary smile on her face. Extracting herself away from her son's embrace she pulled the young woman in a hug and kissed her forehead as a loving mother would do to her child.

"Thank you for returning my son to me. Again. I cannot thank you enough my child." Hannah said to Miranda.

"There's nothing to thank about Mrs Shepard. I care for him too." Miranda said grasping the elder woman's hands in hers.

"Mom, should we stand here all day? I am starving." John joked.

"I am sorry! Please come in." She pulled Miranda inside her apartment by her hand. "We will talk after we have lunch."

John and Miranda agreed immediately because both of them were starving.

 **AFTER LUNCH**

"I knew it was you who sent me the message about my son being alive, Miranda." Hannah said with gratitude in her voice. Miranda smiled in return. "It was the least I could do."

"Wait a minute. She sent you a message and I don't even know about it?" John interrupted.

"Is it necessary for you to know everything, John?" Miranda said teasingly.

"She is right." Hannah agreed. "This is between a mother and her daughter. You don't need to interfere. Isn't it, Miranda?"

Miranda couldn't answer. She was speechless. Did Hannah Shepard just referred to her as her daughter? She will get a mother? What is a mother like? She read about the relationship between a child and a mother but she never experienced it herself because she had no mother. All she had was an abusive father. No, not a father but a monster. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Hannah saw the tears in Miranda's eyes. She immediately realized what was going inside the head of the younger woman in front of her. She got up from the sofa and sat down beside Miranda, pulling her in an embrace. "I know what you have went through my child, but never again. You will be my daughter, not just daughter in law. I am just Hannah to you or if you feel comfortable you can call me mom."

John looked at his mother surprised. Did his mother just said 'Daughter-in-law'? That means his mother is suggesting him to marry Miranda. He can't tell that he is surprised because he expected it and that thought was in his mind for some time now. He got up from his seat and went to the balcony, leaving his mother and Miranda alone. Only one thought kept on running inside his head. Miranda as his wife. Miranda Shepard. But will she take his last name? Well, it doesn't matter to him. He just needs her. But the prospect of marrying Miranda is one of his deepest and secret desires. Start a family with her and lead a normal life, that are his dreams but with the danger of the Reapers looming over the galaxy he can't see that his dreams are going to be fulfilled.

Sighing he retreated inside to see that his mother is telling some embarrassing stories about him to Miranda at which she was laughing. After some time of teasing and laughing at each other they proceeded to have some serious talks. Hannah asked Miranda, how she was able to bring her son back from the dead. Miranda explained as best as she could. She also mentioned about his amazing healing abilities and the mysterious event of him being able to vanish the cybernetic implants from his body.

Hannah listened intently at both of them without speaking as they talked about the Collectors, how Miranda died and how John saved her. Hannah was surprised that her son was able to bring Miranda back from dead.

"So the rumours are true? The Collectors do exist?" Hannah asked.

"Worst, we think they are working for the Reapers." John said.

"So what are you going to do? The Council has refused to help I heard."

"We are building a team. A strong team. Then we will hit them right at their home world and wipe them out for good." John said anger lacing his voice.

"How can I help?" Hannah said.

"By keeping the Alliance away from us. Anderson said he will help too." John replied.

"I can do that and it won't be much of a problem if you traverse within the Terminus System." Hannah said.

John looked at the time and he realized that it was time for them to go. "Mom, we have to go."

"I know. Just wait a minute." Hannah said and went to her bedroom. She returned with the small package in her hand and handed it to Miranda. "This is for you."

Miranda was surprised but she took the gift with a smile. Slowly she opened the package and it produced a thin gold necklace with green gems embedded in it. "It is beautiful." Miranda said smiling happily.

"This is our family heirloom, Miranda. John's father gave it to me, when we got engaged." Hannah informed. Then she took the locket from Miranda and placed it around her neck. "You are now un-officially a Shepard. I can't wait to see you to get married and give me a grand-son or grand-daughter or both."

At her statement bot Miranda and John turned a deeper shed of red and the three people in the room embraced each other in a group hug.

 **Note: I admit that this chapter is a little boring, but please bear with me. Tell me what you think.**

 **Chapter Note: Hannah didn't tell Miranda or John to take care of each other when they were leaving because she knew they would, regardless whether or not she tells them. Also if you feel the conversation between John and Miranda a bit awkward or out of place, please let me know. But Shepard is truly vulnerable without her, and is no better than a lost child.  
**

 **P.S: If you get confused about the first part of the previous chapter, don't hesitate to message me. That part was about the Emperor who was mentioned briefly during the 'Pergatory' mission.**


	49. Krogan Warlord

With a sigh Miranda rubbed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. After working for several hours, reporting Illusive Man of the mission status she was dead tired. She would have gone to bed few hours ago but there are responsibilities which she can't ignore. As the XO of the Normandy she has many responsibilities, such as looking over the crew, whether the Normandy is operating at 100% efficiency, if any repairs to be done, etc. She gets all the reports from the crew but it is her duty to do a final check.

Apart from her professional duties she also has a personal responsibility, placed on her by none other than Admiral Hannah Shepard - to look after her son. Miranda always took care of John and she always will but it was nice to hear it from the mouth of John's mother.

Hannah said that she trusts Miranda with her son. She trusts no one else the way she trusts Miranda. Miranda replayed the conversation with Hannah in her mind.

 _Hannah saw her son went outside to the balcony leaving her with Miranda. She looked at the younger woman sitting beside her._

" _I need to confess something to you, Miranda." Hannah said softly. Miranda didn't say anything, she just stared back with a curious expression on her face. "I…. I was jealous of you." That surprised Miranda._

 _Hannah Shepard was jealous of her. Why?_

" _You were jealous of me? Why?"_

" _Because my son loves you more. He can see no one else when you are with him. I envied you, even got jealous sometime. I never expected that I would get my son back after I lost him when he was just a baby. But you took care of him, gave him a life. You make him happy." Hannah smiled softly._

" _But you are his mother. No matter what he will always love you." Miranda replied._

" _Yes, I am his mother and he will love me, always but not as much as you. Miranda, you are his whole world. After he lost you on Mindoir, he was just half-alive and I know you were the same. I know how much you care for my son and slowly I got over my feelings. So…. Thank you for taking care of my son, Miranda." Hannah said honestly, grasping Miranda's hands in hers._

Miranda smiled to herself with her eyes still closed. After talking to Hannah she felt a great weight has been lifted off from her shoulders. She was worried that Hannah may not accept her relationship with John after knowing she works for Cerberus, but that woman surprised her totally. Not only that, Hannah gave her something which she craved desperately from childhood.

A mother's love.

Miranda hates her father and she never got any kind of care or love from that man. She got love from John but that was different. Being loved by a mother is really beautiful. She felt peace like she never felt before, not even John could provide her with this kind of feelings. Hannah didn't accept her just as her future daughter-in-law but as her own daughter, Miranda never imagined that even in her dreams but it happened nonetheless. Now she is happy, well as happy as one could be when they are headed towards their death.

" _No I won't think like that. I have faith in him. As long he is with us there is always hope."_ Miranda thought. And speaking of him…. She didn't hear from him since they left Citadel. She came to her office and he went down to cargo-bay with Samara following him. It was almost ten hours ago.

" _Is he still training or he is taking rest?"_ Miranda thought while tapping her finger on her chin. She bit her lip and decided that she would check on him before going to bed for a small nap. She left her office and took the elevator down to the cargo bay. After she exited her office she saw the crew floor was missing many members. She exited the elevator to found the area fairly crowded by crew members. She was about to ask one of the crew members what's going on, but she thought the better of it when she spotted Garrus at one of the corners sitting on top of a crate with an amused smirk on his face.

"What's going on here? Why is the cargo bay so crowded?" Miranda asked Garrus.

"Oh! Hey Miranda!" Garrus acted surprised seeing Miranda beside him. Actually he spotted her when she exited the elevator but said nothing.

"Hey! So… what's going on?"

"Why? The greatest show of all. See for yourself." Garrus urged her to move forward and take a look.

Miranda pushed past the crew members to the front. She saw devastation after getting past the crowd. Crates were scattered here and there, most of them were destroyed beyond any use. In one word, it was a mess. And there he was a few feet away from the crate. He stood with his back towards her, lifting weights, wearing a under shirt which showed his impressive figures and raw muscles that was the evidence of his strength. What irritated her was the female crew members, including Kelly Chambers was openly gawking at him. Miranda could say they were drooling over the floor. It seems John's admirers were watching him silently and John being John didn't even notice that they are drooling over him. This irritated her even more and decided to put a stop to the situation.

"What is going on here?" She said in her ice-queen tone startling every crew member. She directed her gaze to one of them but she merely stuttered. They hurriedly walked away from there to go to their respective posts, trying to prevent the wrath of the XO.

John heard her voice too. He turned back to see her giving the crew members her threatening glare. He was confused. When everyone was gone except for Garrus, she looked at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

"What?" He asked, seeing her glare directed at him.

She ignored him and turned to Garrus. "Garrus, could you give us a moment please?"

"Sure! Why not?" Garrus said getting up from top of the container.

Miranda turned back towards John so she didn't notice the evil smirk Garrus directed at John before he headed towards the elevator. John scowled at him but he only smirked in return.

"Where's Samara?" Miranda asked.

"She went back for some rest." John answered.

"And you are still…. Training?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Don't you think that you are overdoing in your training? It has been almost ten hours, John." Miranda said, folding her arms over her chest. A stern look came over her face like a mother scolding her child.

"I know but I have to be ready. I…." He turned away from her. "I need to have control over my powers. There's not much time left before we face the Collectors again and I can't afford to go down in a fight again. It's unacceptable and dangerous."

Miranda's expression softened. She realized what he is going through, what lies ahead. She knew what he told was truth – They have to be ready, most of all, he must be ready because without him there is no hope.

"I know John. So, have you learnt anything today from Samara?"

A genuine satisfaction grazed his face over the change of topic. "Yeah. I can control my biotics to some extent."

Next thing he knew is that Miranda grabbed the front of his shirt and began to drag him away from there.

"Wha….. Hey!" John protested but she ignored his protests. "Where are you taking me?"

No answer. She pushed him inside the elevator before closing setting the elevator controls to the Captain quarter. "Hey! What's going o…..mmmmppphhh!" All questions ran out of his mind when Miranda's lips crashed against his. She practically begin to smother him, leaving no room for talking. "I will judge, how much control you gained today over yourself." She said seductively with a wink after pulling back slightly to look at his face.

His jaw dropped as his blood travelled south making him extremely uncomfortable. Then their lips met again in a bruising kiss.

All the way to the Captain's quarter, their lips never separated. They stumbled out from the elevator and entered his quarter with Miranda already trying to get him off his shirt. There was a loud tearing noise and a small yelp of surprise after the door of closed behind them and the lock turned red.

 **PLANET: KORLUS, SEVERAL HOURS LATER**

 _A veteran of the Krogan Rebellions fought more than a thousand years ago, Okeer is a militant radical who was so ruthless and fanatical that even his own people turned on him. He maintains an extreme social Darwinist belief that the effect it has had on krogan natural selection, rather than the loss of numbers, is where the genophage has performed its greatest damage. His efforts aren't geared toward curing it, but rather, toward ignoring it completely in the goal of "perfecting" his species. With each rare newborn, even the weaker ones, cared for, grown to adulthood and possibly reproducing, Okeer believes the ancient krogan philosophy that only the strongest survive and reproduce is lost. He sees the survival of the weak and the integration of their genetics into the krogan gene pool as proof that krogan are growing weaker with each generation, becoming shadows of those who fought in the Rebellions. An army of krogan of equal or greater strength, skill, and wits as those of the Rebellions, even a limited and non-reproducing one, will be enough to bring the galaxy to its knees. To this end Okeer experimented with genetics and sold a great number of his kind to the Collectors for the technology he required, earning himself a vile reputation among krogan and forcing him off Tuchanka._

John threw down the data pad on the seat before jumping down from the shuttle with his squad following him.

"The dossier doesn't say if Okeer is on the planet by choice. Assume hostiles." John stated.

" _There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal."_ The team heard a broadcasting.

"Broadcasting orders over loudspeaker? Charming." Miranda deadpanned.

John sent her a disapproving glare. "Stay focused. We're looking for a krogan warlord."

They encountered three Blue Sun mercenaries after proceeding ahead, one of whom was injured and lying on the ground. The other two were efficiently killed by Kasumi silently. They got no chance to alert the others.

"Shit, Shit! It won't stop bleeding…. I'm gonna…. Son of a bitch!" The wounded soldier kept on cursing.

"Doesn't look that bad actually." Miranda whispered.

"He doesn't need to know that." John whispered back.

"I knew it wasn't berserkers. Not at range. You're mercs. Or Alliance. I'm not…. I'm not telling you anything." The wounded merc said stubbornly.

"I've got a nice application of medi-gel ready to go. But if you'd rather I just keep walking….." John said while walking away from the merc.

"Son of a ….. I just, I don't know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he's really been cleansing house lately. Jedore hired him to make an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live ammo training. It's all crap, I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out!" He explained.

" _Out post four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."_ The mercs radio came alive at that moment.

"I want each and every one of your friends gone. Now." John ordered invading the mercs' personal space.

He nodded. "Uh, patrol? The last group dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."

" _Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."_

"You asked for a report, you got it. Dispersed."

" _Understood. Returning to the labs."_ The radio connection ended.

"There. You see? I am helping. If you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out." John stated after applying a small amount of medi-gel on the mercs' wounds. He walked away from there cursing under his breath.

"The scare was a nice touch." Miranda complemented. She was impressed.

"I thought so. It was because of someone's influence on me." John replied with a smirk.

A faint tinge of pink filled Miranda's cheek but she quickly hid it by turning away from others.

"Come on. Our warlord is somewhere in Jedore's lab." John said readying his rifle.

"So, we got a crazy army of tank bred krogans and Blue Suns out there to nail us?" Jack asked stepping beside John.

"Seems so." John replied.

"Last time we faced the tank bred krogans, the experience was not pleasant, I'd say that much." Garrus cut in.

"Saren?" Jacob questioned.

"Yeah, his slaves." Garrus replied. "They were immune to pain and had greater abilities than a normal krogan."

As they went further ahead, they saw corpses of mercenaries and krogans scattered on the ground everywhere.

"This is a slaughterhouse." Jacob commented.

"For amusement and pleasures." Miranda said disgusted.

At that moment they were ambushed by the Blue Suns. The mercs were everywhere but still they were no match for Commander Shepard's team. They simply stood no chance. Jack, Samara and Jacob's biotics, Miranda's tech and biotic attacks, Mordin's tech attacks with John and Garrus' firepower they were wiped out within minutes. Kasumi stayed in cover and provided minimal support because she has no training against this kind of combat.

"When will they learn?" Garrus said shouldering his rifle.

"Never." John said stepping past him.

After encountering another group of Blue Suns, they found a lone krogan fighting against three mercs alone. The krogan was struggling because the mercs were over a small bridge and shooting at him from behind covers. Samara flared up her biotics and grabbed the mercs with Singularity. John detonated the Singularity sphere with a Throw attack. The biotic blast tore apart the mercs bodies and sent them scattering around the area.

Seeing his enemies were dead, the krogan turned around to face John and his team.

"You…. Are different. New. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill you. But you…. Something makes me speak." The krogan said coming closer to John.

"He's only a week old?" Miranda asked.

"They must breed them full-size, ready to kill. Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training."

"Bred… to kill. No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it was not why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemies that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."

"You're supposed to be a part of the mercenary army? Remember Jedore?"

"I know that name. It causes anger but also laughter. It is not a name that will be sung when we march. I don't know what that means but I heard it many times."

"Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"

"I heard the voice. Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it 'Father'. It liked that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs me to be."

"A breeding program. Trying to escape genophage effects?" Mordin murmured.

"Escape? Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."

"How did you disappoint the voice?"

"I don't know. It was decided before I left tank mother. I was not perfect."

"If mercenary was correct, krogan prone to mental instability." Mordin said.

"I don't know of that. But I am not perfect."

"Can you show me the laboratory? I need to speak to Okeer."

"The glass mother. She is up. Past the broken parts." He indicated to his left. "Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you."

The krogan walked to the broken wall and tried to remove a large metal path from the way. But it won't budge. After trying for few seconds he stepped back and looked at John. "I am not perfect."

John nodded. "Let me try."

"I will help." Garrus said trying to follow John.

"What he is playing at? Even the krogan couldn't move it." Jack said.

John grabbed the metal path and yanked it up from the ground using his immense strength. Jack's jaw dropped.

Following that very path, they entered a tunnel to face the hostile krogan army of Jedore. They were approaching through narrow paths inside the tunnel. Beside the narrow path there was dark abyss.

"Jack slow them down." John said indicating three krogans charging forward. She nodded and unbalanced them with a powerful shockwave. The krogans fell down from the impact of the shockwave but no harm was done. Their shield and armour took the brunt of the impact of the biotic power. They only got on their feet to find a frag grenade at their feet. The explosion sent the three krogans flying away and they fell down into the abyss.

The danger wasn't gone as more krogans kept on coming. Biotics, tech and firearms combined attacks took them down but the team was weary. Taking down a krogan army isn't an easy task.

"That's the end of them." Jacob said.

"I hope I don't need to kill another." Jack mumbled.

Samara stepped beside John and looked at him directly in his eyes. "Use your biotics, Commander. They would stand no chance." She knew why he hesitated. He cares for his teammates and didn't want them to cause any harm because of his unsteady biotics. "You have to believe in the power inside you and gain control over it. Don't let it control you."

He nodded. "I believe in you John." Miranda whispered in his ears without anyone noticing with a gentle smile.

They found the stairs at the end of the tunnel as the krogan told them about. On top they encountered more mercs but there were no more krogans to their benefit. The mercs were destroyed before they could properly assess what hit them.

"Jedore must be desperate." Kasumi said. "She has numerous men surrounding this area."

"Yeah. But what does she want with the krogan army?" Jacob asked to no one in particular.

"Only Jedore can answer that." Mordin piped in.

On their way to the top of the tower they came face to face with an asari. She seemed to be scared at the sight of them.

"Commander Shepard?" The asari asked. "I shut down the security cameras as soon I saw it was you. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place."

"Sorry but who are you?" John asked a little confused.

"Rana Thanoptis. You let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire. Had to outrun a nuke in a utility pod, but it's still a second chance."

"I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab?" John asked. Now he remembered her.

"Don't worry. I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here – strictly beneficial. Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good, I can tell. Even if his methods are a little extreme." She paused for a moment and gave a small smile of appreciation to John. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

"Finding you in a place like this makes me think letting you go was a mistake. You don't want that." John said in his deep commanding tone that everyone respects and fears.

"We agree on that. Don't worry I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell before you blow the place or something. I know how you work." Rana proposed.

"She remembers you." Garrus smirked.

"Yeah, it's hard to forget me." John said. Miranda scowled at his back. "Go. Run." And she did run like hell as she said she would.

"Should have killed her. Too much knowledge without ethical boundaries." Mordin said.

"No. What she said was right. Everybody deserves a second chance." John disagreed as he stepped past Mordin.

 **OKEER'S LAB**

"It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs." Okeer said turning his head sideways.

"I take it you're Okeer. You don't seem particularly caged….. or grateful that I'm here." John said.

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change. Surprised? All krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire." Okeer replied.

"I didn't have a lot of room for finesse. If there'd been any other solution, I'd have considered it."

"But I approve. Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made. I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

"Personal issues irrelevant. Here for the Collectors." Mordin interrupted.

"I see. Yes. Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere. I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored."

"Your methods are extreme but you know how to deconstruct a threat. Will you help us?" John asked.

"Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage. But my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy." Okeer said.

Their conversation was interrupted by Jedore's voice over the radio. " _Attention! I have traced krogan release. Okeer, of course. I'm calling 'blank slate' on this project. Gas these commandoes and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"_

"She's that weak-willed? She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve!" Okeer begin to panic. "Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay."

"You could just start over, like she plans to. What's the big deal?"

"This tank is pure. It involved as much trial as data. Starting over will not duplicate it. It must survive." Okeer indicated to the large tank at his right. Inside there was an unconscious krogan. "Jedore will be with rejected tanks. Kill her. I will….. stay and do what must be done."

"All right." John agreed to his proposal.

Okeer merely gave a nod and opened the door on the other side of the lab.

"I was looking forward to this." Jack cracked her knuckles.

"Stay focused." John warned.

Mercs, Krogans and a large YMIR mech were their adversary in their battle against Jedore. The mercenary leader hid herself behind the tanks so there was no clear shot and she had multiple defense on herself.

"Garrus, stay hidden. Keep Jedore in your sights. We will bring down her defense." John ordered.

Garrus acknowledged his order. He hid himself and kept his eyes on Jedore through the sniper scope. He had several opportunity to shot her, but he knew it will only give away his position and alert her.

"Take down the mech!" Jacob yelled.

Kasumi proved herself quite useful in the battle against the mercs. She cloaked herself and stabbed mercs from behind whenever she got the opportunity. The krogans were halted in their way by gun fire and biotics. John remembered Samara's advice. He concentrated hard, as he was taught by closing his eyes. He could feel the dark energy inside him.

In the meantime Jacob lobbed an incendiary grenade at a group of mercs who were hidden behind a cover. The incendiary frag immediately set them on fire. Jack saw the opportunity and she crushed them with her biotics leaving them no room to survive. Miranda was experiencing her new found abilities. She realized that Samara's words were true, her biotics are now indeed stronger than before. Then her eyes darted to John who had his eyes closed.

 _What is he doing?_

Her question was answered when he opened his glowing blue eyes. With a single attack he killed a krogan.

"Krogans are down. Concentrate your fire on the mech." John ordered. It was hard to do so because Jedore was constantly firing at them from behind the tanks. She took few hits and her shield was nearly down. Jedore peeked out from cover to get a direct sniper shot at John, but Miranda reacted first. With an electrical blast she drained Jedore's remaining shield, leaving her vulnerable.

"Got you." Garrus whispered and pressed the trigger. He saw Jedore's head burst into pieces, after getting hit by the armour piercing round from his sniper leaving blood and gore everywhere around her body.

"Did you get her?" Jacob asked.

"Got the bitch." Garrus nodded and came out from his hiding place.

"Let's return to Okeer." John said.

They reached the lab to find Okeer lying still on the ground. Clearly dead. But a recording of his voice started to play. "You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you. But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure. This… one soldier, this grunt. Perfect."

"Okeer wasted his life to save this single krogan?" Miranda said, shocked.

"Delusional. Unlikely one krogan, however strong, could have impact Okeer wanted. Am… almost certain. Suggest leaving it." Mordin said.

"We can't leave it here. Okeer sacrificed himself for this. Normandy, Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs retrieval." John paused. "And he's a big one." He finished looking at the krogan inside the tank.


	50. Note

I am sorry for not updating my stories for a long time, specially the Witcher and Mass Effect series. I am apologizing for the delay but life kept me really busy. I am trying to get back as soon as possible and finish the JLU story. There is only one more chapter to finish it and then I will try to post one chapter for Mass Effect and Witcher every week alternatively.


	51. Peace of mind

**NORMANDY DE-BRIEFING ROOM**

"Bringing the krogan for study makes sense, but I have concerns about waking it." Miranda repeated for the tenth time.

"Yeah, you've said that a few times now." Jacob replied in a slightly annoyed tone.

John entered the room at that moment. They regarded each with nods and proceeded with the discussion about the krogan.

"A normal krogan is dangerous. This one was created, and likely educated by a madman." She replied ignoring Jacob's tone.

"There's no way he's getting out unless one of us lets him out." John tried to restrain her anxiety.

But she didn't seem to hear him. "Or unless Okeer installed some sort of failsafe. Or a malfunction causes the tank to shut down." She stated her opinion.

"I'm not saying we take a crowbar to it right now, but I'm not giving up a potential resource." John said stubbornly.

Miranda's eyebrows knitted together when she looked at John. Her eyes were narrowed. It was obvious from her expression that she is not happy with his decision. "It's your decision, Commander. Just be careful." She stated and stepped past him out of the room.

She called him 'Commander' instead of 'John'. She had no reason to be such formal in front of Jacob. It means that he has pissed her off. He looked at Jacob who just let out a low chuckle. "You should be careful, not to piss her off, Commander. She is a dangerous woman." Jacob advised, still smiling.

"Don't I know that?" John murmured under his breath. He looked at Jacob and smirked, "I guess I will never learn that lesson, huh?"

Jacob just shook his head in amusement. "The cargo hold should be safe enough while you decide what to do with him." Jacob said.

"Take the tank down to the shuttle bay, Jacob. I will be there in a moment." John ordered.

"Aye, aye Commander." Jacob saluted and started to leave.

"And Jacob?" John called him.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Get the shuttle bay cleared."

He nodded in understanding and left.

Before John went to release the krogan from the tank he decided to visit the CIC on his way. He went to the cockpit to find Joker arguing with EDI about alcohol. He chuckled silently listening at their banter and slowly retreated from there. He asked Kelly Chambers whether he got any personal messages or is there anything which he should know about. She informed that there is nothing he should know about. So he turned back to leave but Yeomen Kelly Chambers halted him in his track.

"Is it true, we have a pod containing a baby krogan down in the cargo hold?" She asked.

"Not a baby. He's a full grown super soldier ready for combat." John answered truthfully.

"Please be careful if you decide to…. Err… birth him? His personality if completely unknown."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful." He gave her a pleasant smile and entered the elevator. Kelly couldn't help but swoon at the charming smile he gave her. How can she deny the attraction she feels towards him? She knows that there is not a single woman in the Normandy who doesn't want him. Of course she is in that list but the question who does he want to be with? The man is a mystery to her. She tried to flirt with him, she still tries sometimes but it never works. She knew that she has good looks. Men are attracted to her then why doesn't it work for him?

John headed straight to the shuttle bay. He saw that his orders were followed and the area was getting cleared as much as they could.

"Heard you are going to release the tank bred?" Jack asked, stepping beside him.

He nodded.

"You are taking a great risk Shepard. You don't know how it will react." Jack added.

"I can't let it go, Jack. He is an asset who can be of great help against our fight against the Collectors. I can't lose the opportunity. We need every help we can get." John said stubbornly. He has made his decision and he isn't going to change his mind now.

"I understand." Jack said.

"Anyways what are you doing here? I never saw you outside your… err…. Quarter."

"I am here out of curiosity and there is something I need to talk about."

"Alright. Can it wait?"

"Yeah. It can."

With a swooshing sound the elevator door behind them opened and two persons stepped outside into the Shuttle bay. They were Garrus and Miranda. But there was also another person whom John didn't notice at first.

"Kasumi. What are you doing here?" John asked.

"I have come to see the show. Just like the others." She shrugged her shoulders.

Jack snorted. Garrus grinned and Miranda sent a death glare at John and then kept on staring daggers at Kasumi's back. John saw that both Miranda and Garrus had brought their weapons. He raised one eyebrow. "What are those for?" He asked pointing his finger towards their guns.

"Backup." Came the cold reply from Miranda.

Garrus gave him an evil grin. He knew that Miranda is upset at his friend and somehow he had pissed her off. He is going to enjoy this.

John huffed and turned around. He can't understand why Miri is acting like this. She knew what is at stake. Her behavior is… illogical. But he knew why she is acting like this, because she cares for him. She have to understand and it's not that he never faced a krogan before. There is no proof that this krogan in the tank will be hostile. He saw Jacob is returning with the crew. Everything is ready.

"The area is clear, Commander." Jacob reported.

"Thanks, Jacob. I will take this on from here." John replied and begin to walk towards the tank leaving everyone at the door. He halted and turned back to face his teammates. "Don't show yourself. I will handle this."

Everyone followed his command without any argument but he got a glimpse of Miranda and he saw that she is already readying her SMG. John shook his head and turned towards the tank.

"EDI?" John said. He knew EDI will respond.

"The subject is stable, Shepard. Integration with onboard systems was seamless." EDI informed.

"Can he see anything in there? Does he know where he is?"

"Unlikely. Current neural patterns indicate minimal cognition. Barring ship-wide power loss, the nutrients in the tank could sustain him for over a year."

"Stand by. I'm going to open the tank and let him out."

"Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology."

"He's either a powerful addition to the crew or a time bomb. I'd rather deal with it now."

"Very well, Shepard. The controls are online. The switch …. And consequences are yours." Came EDI's synthetic reply. Her voice halted for a moment. It sounded as if she is worried.

John slowly stepped forward and pressed the large switch in front of the tank. There was a hissing sound and then the liquid inside the tank drained completely. When the liquid was gone the door of the tank opened and the krogan fell on his knees on the floor. It coughed out some liquid from inside its mouth. Then its eyes fell on John. He slowly got to his feet and easily towered over John. John has seen many krogans in his life but this one is particularly huge. He is as big as Wrex, if not more.

Then the krogan charged tackling John and smashed him against the wall. The krogan held him there by placing the back of its hand against his throat. John didn't say anything. The brunt of the force actually did hurt but he quickly overcame the pain and focused on the krogan who is curiously examining him from head to toe.

"Human male." It stated. "Before you die, I need a name."

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy." John replied calmly.

"Not your name. Mine. I am trained, I know things, but the tank. Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow." The krogan replied. "Warlord, legacy, grunt…..grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last. It has no meaning. It'll do. I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

"You'll get your wish, Grunt." John replied.

Then, quicker than blinking one of his hands shot out and grabbed Grunt's hand which was against his throat, pinning him against the wall. To the astonishment of Grunt the human begin to push his hand away from his throat with minimum effort. Grunt applied more strength but the strength of the human was much stronger than him. Grunt looked towards the face of the human. The human is looking at him casually but Grunt could see that his already blue eyes have started to glow brightly. Suddenly, with a mighty push he threw Grunt away from him. Grunt's eyes widened as he flew back and landed hard on the floor a few feet away. He can't believe it. A human, a mere human pushed him away? A human easily overpowered a krogan in melee combat? It is impossible. Grunt saw the human named 'Shepard' stepped forward towards him and extended his hand.

"I think I've proven my worth to you, Grunt. Now will you fight for me?" John said extending his hand towards the krogan to help him get on his feet. "I have a good ship and a strong crew, a strong clan. You'd make it stronger."

Grunt refused his helping hand and quickly got on his feet. "If you choose weaker enemies, I have to kill you."

"Our enemies are worthy. No doubt about that."

"Hmm. That's acceptable. I'll fight for you." Grunt accepted the offer.

"Why didn't you prefer the name 'Okeer' or 'Legacy'"? John asked.

"It's short. Matches the training in my blood. The other words are big things I don't feel. Maybe they fit your mouth better. I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or his enemies. I will do what I am bred to do…. Fight and determine the strongest…. But his imprint has failed. Without a reason that's mine, one fight is as good as any other." Grunt explained. "You are worthy Shepard. If I find a clan, if I find what I…. I want, I will be honored to eventually pit them against you."

John smiled. "Thanks, Grunt. You can stay in the cargo hold. Will it suffice?"

"Yes. It'll do."

"Good. My crew will show you the way." John said.

 **LATER, MIRANDA'S OFFICE**

Miranda was working at her table over some reports. The door opened halting her work. She looked up to see the person standing there whom she was thinking of. "We need to talk." He said.

"Very well." She led him towards the back of her cabin and sat down on the sofa. "Talk."

He didn't sit down. "Why are you acting like this?"

"What do you mean?" Miranda asked feigning innocence.

"You know damn well what I am talking about." John raised his voice. This is the first time he talked with her in raised tone.

Miranda looked surprised and a little hurt at his outburst. She looked away and didn't answer. She could feel tears were forming in her eyes. That was not because of his outburst but the fear inside her heart.

John saw the expression on her face and immediately regretted his behavior. He softened his expression and gently bent down in front of her and took her hands in his. "What's wrong, Miri?" He asked gently. "Look at me." But she didn't. He decided to try again. "You know I am always here for you. I am always ready to listen to you. You can tell me anything."

"You won't understand." Miranda whispered, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Make me understand." John said.

This time Miranda looked at his eyes. They are still the same kind blue eyes that holds so much love for her that sometimes she believes that it is a fantasy. But to her joy, it wasn't a fantasy. It is real. John Shepard is real. His love for her is also real.

"Don't you trust me, Miri?" He asked gently.

She nodded and another fresh track of tears fell from her eyes. "I trust you more than myself." She mumbled.

"Then tell me." He said placing his palm on her cheek.

"I….. I was scared John." She admitted at last.

"Scared? Scared of what?" John was confused.

"Scared of losing you." She replied, looking at his eyes.

John gave her a sad smile. "You won't lose me." He replied cupping her face in his hands.

"Can you promise that?" She asked. He didn't reply and looked down. "No. You can't. I know that. No one can. And I understand that but recently my emotions are getting better of me. I still remember the time when I lost you to those slavers. Then when I thought I got you back, I lost you again. You died, John. You died." She almost yelled the word 'Died'.

John was shocked at her revelation. He didn't knew that she kept so much emotions hidden inside her heart.

She continued turning away from him and looking at the dark space. "And that day, I was killed too. Almost. If it wasn't because of my sister I would've never survived. She was the one who kept me going. She was the reason I lived on because I knew I have to protect her from my father. She must not suffer the same fate which I did. She deserves a happy family. A loving husband, cute little children of her own. All in all a peaceful life. Then I got the mission of finding your body and reviving you. When I found your unmoving body I was sure I was going to kill myself. But somehow I got past that and began the Lazarus Project. It was successful. You were alive again but you couldn't remember me. My heart broke again. I…." She begin to cry again. She couldn't go on anymore.

A lone tear escaped John's eyes at her whole revelation. He quickly stepped in front of her and hugged her tightly against his body.

"I understand you completely Miri, and I am sorry for being an ass." The corner of her lips quirked slightly at his words. "But you have to understand that we are at war, Miri. We need every help we can get."

"I understand that but….. I don't know why I am acting like this. This is unacceptable." Miranda whispered in his chest.

"It's okay Miri. We are all humans after all." He smiled gently and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Her reaction was to embrace him tighter than before as if she was afraid if she let him go, he will be gone forever. John didn't saw that Miranda's expression turned into concern once again because she had her face pressed against his chest. " _I am sorry John that I didn't tell you the whole truth. I can't tell you. Not now. It will only distract you."_ She thought in her mind. Perhaps it is not wise to hide things from him but it is the right thing to do. At least for now.

 **SOMETIME LATER**

John found Jack in her usual place, sitting on a weapon bench with her head in her hands. "What would you like to talk about Jack?" He asked gently.

Jack was startled at his sudden presence but recovered quickly. "Oh! You are here. Listen…. I get thoughts like little bugs crawling in and out of my head. I can't stop them. You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

"I'll listen to anything you have to say, Jack." John assured her that he is here to help her.

"Your pal, the Illusive Man? Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into something super-biotic. The doctors…. The other kids…. Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer." Jack described her sad story.

"What did they hope to gain by torturing a little girl?" John asked calmly. Outside he didn't showed any reaction to Jack but inside he was boiling in anger. No one, least of all a child should suffer such fate.

"It was something about pain breaking down mental barriers, and how it might clear the way for a more biotic power. I'm sure there was a pay-off due at some point, but I wasn't going to see it. I was wired up in a cell." Jack answered.

"They tortured you just to see if they could make a strong biotic? That's it?" John asked. His anger was increasing. Whatever trust he had in Cerberus begin to fade away with Jack's revelations.

"Wasn't in a position to ask, Shepard. All I know is, a little girl crying in a cell, begging for the pain to stop….." Her voice died at the end. She looked down at the floor.

"How did you get out of there?" John asked curiously.

"There was some kind of emergency and I made a break for it. The other kids came out of their cells and attacked me. So did the guards. I just killed everything in my way and ran. Guess my biotics had developed faster than they thought. I managed to get a shuttle off the ground. Drifted until a freighter picked me up. The crew used me, then sold me. That's my uplifting escape story." She went silent after that.

"You mean they used you….. sexually?" John asked.

"Yes. Worse than that. They offered me to take to the place I wanted to go and in exchange I had to satisfy their lust. Men. A woman's body. That's all they need." Jack admitted, her eyes downcast. She could still remember those moments when those vile men touched her intimately. Thinking of those memories disgusted to her to no end.

"Why did you agree? You could have easily killed them." John asked disgusted and angry, not at Jack but at those men who used her for their own lust and pleasure.

"I had no choice. If I had killed them who would've piloted the freighter. Their offer was better than going back to Cerberus. So, I agreed but they betrayed me at the end." Jack said in anger. Her biotics begin to flare up.

"There were other children in the base?"

"I didn't know much about them. I was kept separate. They hated me, just like everyone else. When I broke out, I had to fight through all of them. I showed them, but there's a loose end I need to deal with."

"You're absolutely certain that Cerberus was running the facility?"

"I was a kid, but I wasn't dumb. I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was. They thought they were so clever. Turns out, mess with someone's head enough and you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots."

"I'm going to talk to the Illusive Man, and he'd better have some answers."

Jack shook her head. "He'll just deny everything. That's not what I'm after anyway." She paused for a moment. "I found the coordinates in your files. I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me. I want to go to the center of the place, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit where it goes."

"It will be done, Jack. I'll set a course for Pragia."

"I owe you, Shepard." Jack said sincerely.

"You don't owe me anything. This is nothing compared to what I have asked all of you to do for me."

Jack smiled at his words. "You are one of a kind Commander Shepard. I have never met anyone like you in my life. You gave me something, which I never got in my life – Trust, care and respect. You are the only one who never intended to use me in any way. I am glad that I have a friend like you, Shepard."

"Likewise, Jack." He replied with a pleasant smile.

 _Gosh! That smile._ She thought and swooned internally. But Jack knew that she had no chance, actually no one has any chance to have him because the cheerleader has already staked her claim on him. _Cerberus bitch._ She thought.

 **PRAGIA, SEVERAL HOURS LATER**

"I forgot how much I hate this place." Jack said looking outside the window of the shuttle. "See the landing pod? He has to be on the roof, or the vegetation would overgrow it in a few hours."

"Shepard, I am picking up thermal signatures everywhere, except at your landing zone." EDI informed.

"Something is distorting the sensors." John said.

"This was a secret Cerberus facility. I wouldn't be surprised if there are still a few security measures here and there." Miranda said.

"Yeah, they build their equipment to last. Assholes." Jack agreed. Then she turned to look at John, who was sitting beside her in the shuttle. "It was a mistake coming back here, Shepard."

"When we start a mission, we finish it." John said.

"Yeah. Okay. Let's get on the ground." Jack agreed but she seemed hesitant. "Let's just get in there and plant the bomb in my cell. I want to watch this place burn."

They entered the facility and proceeded towards Jack cell. She kept on guiding them and describing the place. On their way they found an active log which stated that the experiments in the facility of Pragia, were done in secret without the consent and the knowledge of the Illusive Man.

"So, the Illusive Man didn't know what was happening in this place." Miranda concluded. She was a little relieved.

"Don't be so sure, Cheerleader. This could be one of his plans." Jack grunted. Miranda got irritated but she didn't say anything. She had no desire to go in a verbal quarrel with Jack, especially now in the middle of nowhere.

They reached an area which looked like an arena.

"This looks like an arena." John said.

"That's right. They used to stage fights here. Pit me against other kids." Jack answered. "I loved it. Only time I was ever out of my cell."

"What were they studying?" Miranda asked.

"Hell if I know. Maybe that's how they got their kicks. I never understood anything that happened here." Jack replied.

"Did other children die in these fights?" John asked.

"I was a kid, filled with drugs. I got shocked when I hesitated. Narcotics flooded my vein when I attacked." Jack admitted.

John and Miranda both were shocked. "They actually rewarded you for attacking?"

"I still get warm feelings during a fight." Came the reply.

"What the hell was wrong with those people? John said shaking his head in disgust. He couldn't think how a human can do such horrific things to children.

"I don't know. Doesn't matter now."

"How often did they do this?"

"I was in a cell my whole life. Sometimes they took me out and made me fight. Filled me with drugs. Other stuff. Time gets funny in a cell."

After walking inside deeper into the facility they encountered a group of Vorchas and Varrens. Vorchas and Varrens didn't stand a chance against the super biotics. They were killed within a minute.

"Who do they even try?" Jack asked to one.

"These vorchas are Blood pack mercenaries. We may face some krogans inside." Miranda concluded after examining the dead bodies of the vorchas.

They found another terminal which was replaying a video of the activities of the security guards when Jack escaped the facility. The guards seem to think that someone started the riot besides Jack.

"That's not right. I started the riot." She stated confused.

"Things might have happened that you didn't see." John said.

"The other kids attacked me. The guards attacked me. The automated systems attacked me. That doesn't leave lots of room for interpretation." Jack shrugged.

They kept on advancing deeper inside the facility and found few dead varrens. The kill was fresh. At last they were near Jack's cell. But Miranda's suspicions were confirmed true as they came face to face with a group of Blood pack krogans. The fight was intense but it didn't last much longer. A final shot from John's shotgun dropped the last krogan. After killing the krogans they finally reached Jack's cell but someone was already there.

"Come out. We know you are here." John called out the stranger.

A man stepped in front of them from the shadows. "Who are you?" Jack asked.

"My name is Aresh, and you're breaking into my home. I know you, Subject Zero." The man said. "So many years have passed, and I have thought that I was the only survivor."

Jack immediately raised her handgun, pointing it straight towards Aresh's head. "My name is Jack. How the hell do you know my name?" She asked.

"We all know your face, Jack. They inflicted horrors on us so their experiments wouldn't kill you. You were the question and I'm still looking for the answer." Aresh replied.

"Looks like you are not the only one pulled back here, Jack." John said.

"I tried to forget this. But a place like this…. It doesn't forget you. It follows you. I hired these mercs and came back almost a solar year ago. We're rebuilding it piece by piece. I'm going to find out what they knew…. How to unlock true potential in humans. I'm restarting the Teltin facility."

"I wanted a hole in the ground and he's trying to justify what happened by using it!" Jack yelled.

"You'd do the same thing to new kids? Wasn't this forced on you?" John asked Aresh.

"Some were brought from poor families on Earth or kidnapped from colonies. Most ended up here the way I did: batarian pirates. They did such horrible things to us. They must have had good reasons."

"There's no reason good enough! Are you nuts? You lived it!" Jack yelled in disbelief.

"This place was like a prison. How did you get out?"

"We all attacked at once when they were taking us to the lab. They would've put us down, but then Jack got loose. When I came to, it was over. The guards, the scientists, and the kids were all dead and you were gone." Aresh said looking at Jack.

"I stopped it all, all of it. Maybe the others did have it bad, but what you're doing is just messed." Jack argued.

"Everything we went through must have been worth something!" Aresh argued back.

"We can blow up the place, but that still leaves him. What do we do?" John asked looking at Jack.

"You are asking me?" Jack asked surprised. He is the leader and he is asking her.

"Of course. This is your mission." John said.

"That's easy." Jack whispered.

"Just leave me here. This is where I belong." Aresh said.

"Let's just kill him. He wants to restart this place. He needs to die!" Jack yelled.

"Jack he is trapped in his past. He's crazy, and he's never going to restart this facility. You have to let it go. Your past doesn't have to control you." John reasoned with Jack and she calmed down.

"Get out of here. Go!" Jack ordered Aresh.

But he didn't move from his place. John had enough. He grabbed the man by his collar and easily lifted him up from his feet. "Listen buddy. The lady gave you a chance but I'm not going to. This is your chance to escape."

"You can shoot me. I am not going." Aresh said stubbornly.

"I am not going to shoot you but I'm going to do a lot worse." John's eyes glowed with power. Aresh's eyes turned wide in fear. He immediately started to get out of John's reach. John let him go. The man landed on his feet and ran away from there without glancing back.

"You did the right thing, Jack." John said.

"I know. Thank you, Shepard. For stopping me." Then she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She pulled back immediately. Jack saw Miranda was glaring at them from the far side of the room. She gave a cheeky smile and a wink, which John couldn't see. Her face turned serious when she looked back at John.

"This room was my whole childhood. Just give me a minute to look around." Jack requested.

"Go ahead." John nodded.

Jack smiled in gratitude.

Moments later they were flying, inside the shuttle. The shuttle was flying them away from the facility. John sat beside Miranda this time and jack sat on the opposite seat. She was fiddling with the remote in her hand. John raised an eyebrow at Jack's reactions. She looked at him and determination filled her face and she pressed the button.

 _ **NOTE: Please leave a review.**_


	52. Servant of the Collectors

**ABOUT 14 YEARS AGO, MINDOIR**

"Come on, John. We are getting late." Miranda called to John, who was still busy, looking for something inside. "Coming!" Came the reply from inside the room. A few seconds has passed and she saw that they are really getting late for their school. She felt irritated because their teacher reminded them to reach school a little earlier today and they are getting late because of him. Miranda started to lose her patience. Don't get her wrong, she loved him like no other, but sometimes he tend to get on her nerves. Still, she can never stay angry at him for long, because he is too adorable and she just cannot ignore him. She tried sometimes, but no matter how hard she tried, he had managed to break her walls every time with his innocent and adorable ways to make her smile.

But this time she is really angry. She cannot figure out what was taking him so long. She marched inside with the intention to find out herself and drag him out by his ears if necessary. Well, that was exaggeration, she can never do that to him. She entered inside the room angrily. Her eyes swept the room and found the object of her musing. He was sitting on the bed searching for something among the books.

"What are you doing?" Miranda huffed angrily, folding her arms over her chest and leaning on her right leg.

"I cannot find my books." He looked a little frightened.

Miranda rolled her eyes and sighed. Sometimes she also couldn't figure out what to do with this boy and this is one of those times. She approached him and snatched his bag away from his hand. She opened the bag and held it in front of his face. "I have already packed your bag yesterday because I knew you will forget and will try to do it at the last moment." She scolded. John's eyes widened and his face turned red. "Seriously, John you didn't even check your bag? It feels heavy than normal and one could see that it contains something."

He looked down, ashamed of his stupidity. "I am sorry. We were getting late and I panicked. It's just…" John tried to apologize but Miranda cut him off. "We are still getting late, in case you haven't noticed. Come on." She started to drag him out by his hand. John almost fell down from the bed but he somehow kept his balance and took hold of his bag before leaving the room.

The two of them managed to reach the school, just in time before class but they couldn't make in the time that their teacher asked them for. When they entered the class, the teacher was already there and she looked angrily at them. "You are late." The teacher, Mrs. Grim scolded the two. "I have expected better from you, Miranda than disobeying her matter."

Miranda looked down ashamed. "I….." She tried to defend herself and John but Mrs. Grim cut her off. "No. I don't want to hear any excuses. You should be ashamed of yourself and…." This time someone else stopped Mrs. Grim from continuing. "Please Mrs. Grim, it wasn't her fault. I got her late. This is entirely my fault." John confessed.

Miranda gave him a look which said, "What are you doing, stupid?", but he ignored her look. He brought this on her and he won't let her take the blame. "And what made you late, Mr. Nobody?" Mrs. Grim asked. She enjoyed rebuking him. Most of the students and teacher does because he has no identity. He is an orphan. There are other orphans too, but he is targeted solely because of his lack of identity. Sometimes, John curses his luck and even get angry at his parents for leaving him. But he cannot hold that grudge against his parents forever, because deep inside he knows that parents will never abandon their child willingly. His life could have been different if he had his parents with him. He could've had a brother or a sister or both. They would've been a happy family. Despite this desires he thanks his parents for leaving him, otherwise he wouldn't have met her, Miranda Lawson, his Miri. To him she is the most amazing girl in the world and no one can even be compared to her. No matter what, to him, she will always be special. She is the most important person in his life. Nothing will come before her. Ever.

He hates the fact that everyone rebukes him because of his absent identity, even some of the teachers but there was nothing to say in return because he truly had no idea who were his parents or why they left him or are they still alive or are they dead. A few times, Miranda had tried to defend him but it only got her insulted instead, so he made her promise that she won't try to defend him, if anyone tries to insult or rebuke him. She didn't agree at first but he made her. Now he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and saw her clenching her fists in anger. Her jaws tightened and she looked ready to strike any moment like a serpent. He shook his head and warned her silently, not to do anything stupid. The anger from her face gone and got replaced by sadness.

"You are what? Deaf? I asked you a question." Mrs. Grim's voice shook him out of his thoughts. Most students laughed at his expense. There were only a handful of them who didn't.

"I couldn't find my books." He answered truthfully.

"I didn't expect more than that from you." Mrs. Grim said. "Sit down everyone." She paused for a moment and looked at her students. John and Miranda looked at each other. There were only two sits empty, one at the front and one at the last. John encouraged her to go to the front seat while he went for the last one. She seemed reluctant but went anyway. "As I was saying before I got interrupted, we are having a very important event next week. The student's ball." Everyone cheered in excitement. Some of the girls giggled and begin to whisper among themselves. Miranda turned her head backwards and her eyes met John's. Her eyes were shining with excitement and joy. John smiled back. The teacher continued, "You have one week to find yourself a partner. So, be prepared." Most of the boys' stare immediately got fixed on Miranda which she ignored. Who can blame them? She was smart, intelligent, funny, kind and not to mention excruciatingly beautiful. There's no doubt that every boy in the school will want her to be their date for the prom. John glared daggers at the other boys but no one saw it.

 _She is mine._ He thought, possessively.

It was lunch time at the school and the students were bust than usual because of the prom. Some boys were asking some girls to be their date and some others taking advise from their friends on how to ask a girl out. But Miranda wasn't busy. She sat on a bench in front of her table, eating her lunch. John was at her side her doing the same. At that moment a boy approached her where she was eating.

"Hey babe, wanna go to the prom with me?" The boy asked with an arrogant smile. He was confident that she would agree because no girl has ever refused him because he was handsome and rich.

"No." Came the blunt reply. The smile on his face vanished and got replaced by shock, then anger. "Did you just refuse me? Me? Tanner Woodsworth?"

"Are you deaf? Or you are so stupid that you don't know the meaning of the word 'No'?" Miranda said, still eating her lunch. Students who were around them, sniggered at Tanner's humiliation.

"How dare you refuse me? Don't you know who I am?"

Miranda put away her lunch to stood up to look at Tanner. "Yes, I know who you are. You are a spoiled little brat. Arrogant, selfish and a bastard. Now leave me." She sat down again and begin to eat her food again. Tanner was fuming at her. An evil smile appeared on his face. "You are going with Mr. Nobody I think?"

"What is it to you?" Now Miranda was angry. This boy has started to get on her nerves and how dare he insult John, her John?

"Come on we know what's going on here. Everyone here knows that you two stay together and….. Should I say more?" Tanner said, smiling arrogantly. In the next moment there was a loud crunching noise of wood breaking. John has clenched his fingers at holding the edge of the table and it snapped under his strength. Miranda placed her arm on his thigh under the table to calm him down.

"Not everyone is like you, Tanner who forces every girl into his bed." Miranda replied with an edge of steel in her tone.

"Looks like I hit someone's nerves." He high-fived with his gang. "Are you his little whore?" The entire area suddenly went silent with everyone's eyes fixed on Miranda and Tanner. Miranda felt John tensed. It is just a matter of time before he snaps and she knew it. She cannot let his happen. Once he gets out of control, she don't know what he will do. She had to take the matters in her own hand. Swiftly she stood up on her feet and slapped Tanner, hard across the face. The sounds of her hand meeting his cheek echoed through the entire area. Tanner looked shocked, while holding his cheek which had already turned red.

After few moments of silence some people begin to cheer and then everyone followed. Some even whistled. Nobody likes Tanner and his groups. They are the bullies. Tanner and his group looked around and left the area embarrassed. Some of the students even yelled, "Way to go Miranda! You put him in his place!" She sat down beside John and resumed eating. Soon the chaos died down and everything turned back to normal. From the corner of her eyes she saw John is looking at her with a smile on his face. She stopped eating to look at him. "What?" She asked.

"That was some slap, Miri." John said with a smile. She smirked. "Thanks. So….."

"So…. What?" He asked.

"Any of the girls asked you out yet?" She asked. John noticed she had a hint of jealousy and possessiveness in her voice.

"No. Why would they? I mean you know what they think of me." John said sadly. "And besides I don't want to go."

"Hey, ignore them." Miranda placed her hand on his and squeezed his fingers gently. "But why don't you want to go? Everyone is excited about this."

"Do you want to go with me, Miri?" John asked, looking in her eyes.

"You already know the answer, John." Miranda said, holding his hands in hers.

"I know." He sighed. "I think it is better that you should go with someone else."

Miranda was shocked. "What?! Why?"

"I saw how good you are in dancing and I always make a complete fool of myself in dancing. I will ruin your evening." John answered truthfully.

"That's what you are worried about? That's your reason for not wanting to attend the ball?" Miranda asked. He nodded. "John…." She whispered. "Look at me." He did. "I don't care whether you can dance or not. All I want is to spend that evening with you. It will be a special moment. Our special moment and our first date. All I ever wanted is to spend some time with you." Miranda tried to make him understand. John looked confused. "But you spend all the time with me." He said. "Yes." Miranda answered. "Because that's what I want. That's all I ever wanted and I ever will. Because I don't want to go anywhere where you are not present. When will you understand that?" She smiled gently at him. Her eyes shining with love for him. A single tear dropped from John's eyes. He leaned towards her and placed his head on her shoulder. Her arms automatically went around his shoulders to hold him, for comfort and because she wanted too. So many years have passed and John still wonders how he managed to win the heart of an amazing girl like her. He didn't know the answer but he knew one thing – He can never lose her. Without her his life has no meaning. As his thoughts ended he placed his left arm around her waist possessively at which Miranda could only smile.

"I love you, Miri." He whispered.

She smiled again. She never gets tired to hear those words from his mouth because she knew he meant them every time he said that. "I love you too."

A few minutes later, the lunch was almost over and Miranda stood among the other girls. She noticed that they were whispering among themselves and glancing towards her occasionally. "If you girls have something to say, speak your mind." Miranda said aloud, without looking at them. They were startled for a moment but composed themselves quickly.

"Yes. We were wondering why you always stick with Mr. Nobody. You can do much better than him. Sure he has the looks to which I even considered myself to ask him out but he is just a 'Nobody'. He has no identity." One of the girls said.

Miranda felt pissed off but she composed herself. "I will answer your questions in short. First of all, no, I can't find anyone better than him. No one can. He is amazing. You girls don't get it? Do you?" They shook their head negatively stating that they don't understand. "You only look at him from far but if you girls had really made some time to talk with him, you would have seen what I've seen. He is the most kind-hearted and gentle person who respects girls unlike other boys. He is loyal. Brave. Intelligent, well most of the time but sometimes he can be stupid but I kind of find that adorable and innocent about him. He is honest. He respects me. And he cares for me. What else a girl could desire?"

As Miranda revealed the character of John she could see that the girls' are thinking about what she said. "But you didn't answer about his identity."

"You want to know what I believe about him?" Miranda asked them. They nodded. "Then come with me." Miranda marched down the hall, with the intent to find John, the other girls followed her. She found him near his locker. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the girls. She saw that everyone was looking at her now. "What are you doing?" John asked, baffled. She ignored him for the moment. She clasped their fingers together and held it up in front of the girls' faces. "You people always ignored and insulted him, by saying that he is a 'Nobody'. But I can assure you that one day, he will create an identity of himself which everyone in the galaxy will know and respect. He will also be the object of desire of every girl and woman in the galaxy." She paused. "That's what I believe." She finished at the stunned students and a more than stunned John who had his mouth wide open. At that moment, Miranda really didn't knew how much true her words is going to be. If she knew, she would've withdrawn the part about the women wanting him to be theirs.

 **PRESENT TIME**

Miranda stared daggers at the female crew members of the Normandy who are currently present in the cargo bay of the Normandy and are busy watching their Commander with affection in their eyes. But their Commander didn't notice who seemed busy training with Samara. Miranda remembered her declaration in the school that day. She really regrets what she said about women being chasing after him. It's not that, she has no faith on him, which she has, but sometimes he is too naïve about what other women wants from him and he is just too good to behave rudely with a woman. Her eyes fell on Samara. The asari has kept her words and continued on training him. The display of biotic powers were really amazing to see. Samara had said that he has learned almost everything but there is something which he haven't and that's the most important thing. When Miranda asked Samara about it, she refused to give any further explanation. Miranda wasn't a type of woman who would take a 'No' easily, but this time she remained silent, because she knew better than to question Samara. She noticed Garrus at the corner, tinkling with his guns. Jacob was there too, listening to the instructions of Samara. Jack was also there, whose concentration was entirely on Samara and John. Miranda could tell she was listening to every word the asari was saying to John. Miranda herself wanted to say but she had too much to do other than doing training. There's also another matter that is nagging her for some time now. It has been a week since she last contacted Oriana. Yesterday, she tried to contact her sister but Oriana is yet to return her message which is quite unusual because whenever Oriana missed her message she always messaged back within six hours to calm Miranda down and prove that she is safe and sound. Miranda has suspicions that something must have happened which is causing the delayed communication. She decided to wait a few hours for reply, otherwise she will take the matter in her own hand.

 **AN UNKNOWN WORLD, SOMEWHERE IN THE GALAXY**

A dark figure sat on a large throne inside the large throne room. He sat under complete darkness, so his identity remained completely unknown. A man slowly approached the dark figure and bowed. "Are they here?" The figure asked. His voice held something dark. The man who seemed to be some kind of palace guard shivered hearing his tone.

"Yes, Emperor. They are here." The man bowed.

"What is their demand?" The Emperor asked.

"They want _it,_ your Majesty."

"Impossible. I don't have access to it, yet. I need more time."

"Your majesty, they seem out of patience. And angry." The man replied. His voice laced with fear.

"I will go and talk to them. We need _her_ to talk. Only she knows the way inside the vault." The Emperor said while getting up from his seat. At that moment a guard came running inside. He looked feared and out of breath. "Your Majesty!" He greeted and bowed.

"Yes?" The Emperor asked.

"She… she escaped. The Princess is gone." The guard stuttered in fear. He gulped as he stared at his King who still stood motionless in the dark. Then a shot rang out and the guard fell down on the floor lifeless with a hole on his forehead. "Get rid of it." Came the Emperor's steely order. The superior officer was still in shock as he looked between the Emperor and the dead body of the guard lying on the floor. "I want her back. At any cost." The Emperor ordered.

 **SOMEWHERE IN THE FOREST AREA**

A young woman who looked no older than her mid-twenties was creeping through the darkness of the forest silently. She had blonde hair, green eyes, red lips and perfect skin. One can easily see that she is from a royal family. She held the beauty and the grace of a Princess. All her looks were speaking her heritage except the baggy and torn clothes she wore, also the dirt all over her hands, legs and face. She looked frightened. She took cover behind a large tree and checked to see whether anyone was following her or not. Once she was satisfied that she has managed to escape, she let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the forest ground with her back resting against the tree trunk. She leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes. It has been eight years. Long eight years since she was imprisoned by that monster. The monster who murdered her parents. The King and the Queen of the kingdom. Then he abducted her and kept her in a cell for these eight long years. Stream of tears ran down from her closed eyes as she thought about her parents. Her memories of them were still fresh and alive. The people loved and respected their rulers as they were kind, honest and caring. But the monster has ruined it all. He has destroyed countless lives including hers. Isn't there anyone who can put a stop to his evil rule?

Her train of thoughts broke as she heard the sound of a broken twig. She immediately got alerted and hid behind the tree again. Her eyes wondered the darkness of the forest trying to locate the intruder but she couldn't find anyone in her sight. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shouldered and she jumped. Believing that she got caught again she started to run. But the voice stopped her. "Princess?!" It was a male voice. "You have escaped?"

She stopped because she knew that voice. This voice used to tell her stories when she was a child. "Dorian? You….. you are alive?" She asked, surprised.

"Unfortunately yes, my Princess. But I wish the monster has killed me then." Dorian said sadly.

"Don't say that!" She snapped. "You are all I have left." Then she rushed towards the old man and hugged him tightly and begin to sob heavily.

The old man begin to run his hands through her hair in a soothing manner. "I am sorry, my dear. I can imagine what you are going through. But are you alright?" He asked concerned about her well-being.

The Princess pulled back from the embrace to look at Dorian. "I am okay."

"Did he… did he torture you?"

"Surprisingly, no. He didn't."

"Wha…. Wait. This place is not safe, we must go." Dorian suggested. The Princess agreed.

A few minutes later they had reached a hidden shelter far deep inside the forest. "What is this place?" The Princess asked.

"This my dear, is the base of the resistance." Dorian answered.

"Resistance? You are planning to fight him?" She asked bewildered.

"Yes. We must dethrone him. But come on, let's step inside. We will discuss this later once you are fed and rested." She nodded at his suggestion. The people inside were more than happy to see the free Princess. Their Princess. Some even cried holding her hands in theirs. But Dorian separated her from them explaining them that the Princess needs to eat and rest. Immediately the people went to work. Some begin to prepare food and others begin to prepare a room for her. Once she and Dorian were alone, she turned to Dorian and looked straight in his eyes.

"Dorian can you answer something truthfully?" The Princess asked.

"Of course." He agreed.

"Is there really any chance to defeat him and his army in combat? Say the truth please." She requested.

Dorian looked down and didn't answer immediately. "None." He replied.

The Princess' eyes widened. "Then why are you sending these people to their death? They stand no chance against his immortal army. They will only get killed."

"I am not sending them, Princess. I am not a leader. I am a writer. They want to fight and who am I to stop them?"

"Then, I will. I won't let them die. Not anymore. Too many people has died." The Princess said.

"They will listen to you. But….." Dorian hesitated.

"But?"

"There is a chance."

"What chance? Tell me about it."

"Perhaps we should discuss this later? You are exhausted and hungry."

"You are right. I am feeling tired and hungry. But can you arrange a meeting for tomorrow? I want to talk to them, myself." The Princess agreed.

"Consider it done." He bowed. "I will leave you to eat and rest for now."

After Dorian left, the Princess wondered what was chance he was talking about? What could it be? The Emperor is too powerful, how can they stop him? She reluctantly pushed those thoughts at the back of her mind and concentrated on the food which was served just then.

 _I will find soon enough._ She thought.

 **SOMEWHERE ELSE**

The Emperor marched alone to a secluded area alone. He had no guards with him. He looked around and after few seconds he spotted his targets. The aliens slowly approached him.

"You are running out of time." One of the aliens said who was different from the others. Its whole body kept on glowing the whole time.

"I just need some time. I will make the girl speak." The Emperor said.

"That's what you said last time." Came the reply in a synthetic voice.

"This is final. What can you provide you in exchange of some time?" The Emperor requested. He looked at all the aliens. They looked just like the Protheans yet, they looked different as if they were mutated into something else.

"Bring me Shepard." The glowing alien said. "This is your last chance, human."

"Thank you." The Emperor said sincerely. "When you will visit next I will give you Shepard, either alive or dead."

"Don't disappoint us again." The possessed Collector said while walking back to their ship.

"I won't." The Emperor whispered to himself. A cruel smile formed on his face.

 _ **NOTE: For whoever who is feeling confused after reading the chapter, the unknown world is the very place which is ruled by the Empire. Ah, well as always please review and let me know what you think about this update.**_


	53. Another friend

" _Shepard, our data indicates that Tali is somewhere in these ruins. There is considerable geth activity and an environmental hazard."_ EDI's voice warned the passengers of the Normandy shuttle as it was about land on Haestorm. " _Solar output has overwhelmed Haestorm's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields._ "

"Great, first Tali got herself in a planet swarming with geth, now this." Garrus shook his head.

"She is your friend." Jack addressed both Garrus and John, the latter didn't bother to answer. His focus was on the datapad in his hands.

 _Tali'Zorah vas Neema_

 _\- Expert in combat tech, systems hacking  
\- Strong engineering background, familiar with Normandy_

 _Formerly listed as Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, the quarian engineer earned her adult name after helping Shepard defeat Saren two years ago. Tali is currently on a classified assignment for the Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board on Haestrom, deep in geth-controlled space._

After the team got dropped off by the shuttle, they saw an insect got burned away when it came to direct exposure of sunlight. EDI's was right. They approached a large closed door which prevented them from entering the colony. "No gate controls." Garrus said.

"There's a control room to the right." Samara pointed out.

John entered the room and found a dead body of a quarian. There was also an audio log playing. " _Anyone who gets this, find Tali'Zorah. She and that data are all that matters. Keelah se'lai."_

"What has Tali gotten herself into this time?" Garrus wondered.

"We will get her out safe and secure." John said, his voice full of confidence.

"I know that but what is that data they are talking about?" Garrus said.

"I guess we will know when we find her." John said. "Everyone ready?"

Each of the squad members gave a firm nod. John met Grunt's eyes. "You ready to kill some geth, Grunt?"

Grunt thumped his fists together. His eyes dancing with excitement at the mention of killing. "Hehehe." John smirked at the krogan's eagerness and pushed the gate controls. "Let's move."

They just moved a few steps for a geth drop ship to arrive. "Geth drop ship, look out."

"Disruptor ammo." John ordered.

The ruin was large but with plenty of covers so the team had not much difficulty in getting covers. But the place was swarming with geth. They were coming from all directions. John pulled out his sniper when he saw a door opening at the far end and several geth emerging from there. The combined fires from the snipers of Garrus and John gave the geth no chance to close down on them. The closer ones were taken down by Jack, Grunt, Samara, Miranda and Jacob. Miranda's and Kasumi's tech attacks gave them a good edge against the battle with the geth.

"That's the end of them." Jacob said.

The team pushed forward towards their destination. They faced a few geth on their way but they pose no problem. They found a radio near a dead body of a quarian, which was alive and someone was asking for help.

" _Break-break-break. OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, do you copy? OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, come in, over!"_

John picked up the radio. "This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Can we provide assistance?"

" _Patch your radio into channel 617 Theta. We were on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were looking after, but the geth found us. They have got us pinned down. Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation."_

"What's the status of your team? How many of you are left?" John inquired.

" _We were a small squad. Dozen marines, plus the science team_. _We are down to half-strength now. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it, though._ "

"What brought you deep into this geth controlled space?"

" _You are asking the wrong person, Shepard. I just point and shoot._ _Something about the sun. It's going bad faster than it should. Some kind of energy problem."_

"Any idea where the geth came from?"

" _One of their patrol ships found us. Dropships started raining geth down on our heads, before we could get off-world. Systems under geth control. We knew they made planetary sweeps periodically. We'd hoped going low-emissions would hide us_."

"Do we have to worry about reinforcements?"

" _I don't think so. Their patrol ship hasn't lifted off again, and the radiation blocks all offworld communication._ "

"How are you holding up? We can be there in a few minutes."

" _Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell. We've bunkered down at base camp across the valley. I left Tali'Zorah at a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold the chokepoint. Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you."_

"You've got conformation that the geth haven't reached Tali yet?"

" _Affirmative. Left my best men with her. When you get here, you can talk to her on the comm. Every marine on this rock is sworn to protect Tali'Zorah. Long as one of us is still drawing air, she'll be safe."_

"Hold position. We'll hit their back ranks."

" _Wait! Watch your ass! We've got a dropship coming in!"_

No sooner than they heard the warning, the dropship was spotted flying above them. It fired two consecutive shots destroying a large concrete pillar. The pillar fell down and blocked the doorway to the next area. " _Crap! Doorway's blocked. Grab the demo charges in the buildings nearby and destroy the wall."_

Getting the demo charges weren't that easy. The place was literally swarming with geth troopers but still they managed it. Their skills and abilities overpowered the sheer number of geth, who were trying to stop them from taking the charges. In the next few moments, the charges were in their possession and they were used efficiently to clear their path. Following John's lead inside the door to their front, the team found themselves in a large room. There were sitting arrangements there. It looked like some sort of meetings were held there once. There were an armory, some research tables and dead bodies. Both quarian and geth. An injured geth was found alive. It was crawling on the floor helplessly. Zaeed shot it in the head finishing it off instantly.

"Are these quarian buildings? From before they got their asses kicked?" Jack said looking around the room.

"This deep behind geth lines! Hope the quarians got what they were looking for." Kasumi murmured.

"Why would the quarians come here? I hope whatever they are looking for is worth it." Garrus said.

Miranda found a journal inside the room. She pressed play when she the journal belonged to Tali. " _Our ancestors walked these walls with uncovered heads. The sun must have been normal back then. So much space. Walls of stone…. It's amazing. I wish my friends could see it. I wish John, Liara and Garrus were here._ "

"I think it is something to do with the sun." Miranda said. "That's why they are here."

"Maybe you are right. But it doesn't matter. We are here to get Tali out safely from here and that's our priority." John said.

"Understood Commander." Miranda said. John raised an eyebrow when he heard her using his title but she merely winked at him and turned away. Garrus saw the exchange and cleared his throat loudly.

"What is wrong with your throat Vakarian? Want me to clean it for you?" Zaeed asked. Jack and Jacob also raised their eyebrows and looked at each other for a moment, confused. Samara smiled slightly.

At that moment, the comm inside the room came alive. "Tali'Zorah to base camp. Come in, base camp." She paused. "Hello! Is anyone there?"

"Tali. It's me. John." In the next second Tali's hologram appeared in front of them. "John? I'm not complaining, but you show up at the strangest times." Then her eyes fell on the blue armored turian standing beside John. "Garrus! You are here too!" Garrus grinned. "What are you doing in the middle of geth space?" Tali asked John.

"I was in the neighborhood. Thought you might need a hand." John said with a grin. Tali knew he was just joking. She is positive that his sole purpose of being here is to rescue her. Just like the old times. She smiled inside her helmet. It was a smile of relief. She knew that she is safe because John Shepard is here for her. She still admires him and she always will. Her feelings for him are also there but she hid it well, never let him know her heart was breaking the entire time when he revealed about the one and only woman who managed to capture his heart from the beginning. She knew in her mind that John can never be hers, but her heart seems to say otherwise, which she knows will never be true. John Shepard belongs to…. Her name was…. Miri? Wasn't it? She cannot remember properly. She pushed those thoughts at the back of her mind and focused on the job in her hand. She have to get out from here.

"Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me into the laboratory. From where you are, it's through the door and across the field. I've got the data I needed and I'm safe for now, but I've a lot of geth outside." She informed John.

"What is the research you are after?" John asked.

"It's about this world's sun. It's aging faster than it should. I can tell more about it once we've got fewer geth shooting at us." Tali said. John realized that Miranda was right as always. She had already guessed the reason of Tali being here into deep geth space. Both of their eyes met for a moment. A silent communication occurred between them, but just for a fraction of second and it was enough for Miranda to see the respect for her shining in John's eyes. She gave a slight nod. John turned to Tali's hologram again. "Would it help if I brought in the Normandy?" He asked Tali.

"Doubtful." Tali shook her head negatively. "These buildings are centuries old. If you bring down heavy fire, this whole place could collapse on us."

"Understood." John nodded. "Is anyone else still with you, or are you alone out there?"

"Reegar had a team of marines covering me when I ran for the observatory." She paused and bowed her head. "At least some of them are still alive. I can hear them firing at the geth outside." She was full of regret that so many good marines had to die because of her.

"Don't blame yourself, Tali." John said softly.

Tali's head shot up in surprise. How did he realize what she was feeling? How did he even do that? "How did you know that I am feeling guilty?"

"Because I know you Tali." John replied with a small smile. "It looks like somebody sealed the door against the geth, and the console is damaged. Can you get it open on your end?"

"Let me see…. Yes. I can do it. Should be unlocked now. Be careful, John. And please, do what you can to keep Reegar alive." Tali requested.

"You have my word Tali. I won't let Reegar die. Not if I can help it."" John nodded.

"Thanks a lot John. That means a lot to me." Tali said before ending the connection.

By the time they got past the door, the whole place was shaking occasionally from the heavy fires between the geth and the quarians. "Is it always like this with you?" Kasumi asked.

"This is nothing." Garrus said.

"Right. I forgot with whom I am here." Kasumi rolled her eyes.

Before they reached Kreegar and his squad they had to destroy a couple of camouflaged drones and a few group of geth. They found Kal'Reegar alive but alone behind a cover with a missile launcher in his hand. "Squad leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet marines. We talked on the radio before that dropship arrived." Reegar introduced himself. "Still no idea why you're here, but this ain't the time to be picky." He paused. Then revealed himself from cover to fire a missile at the geth. He quickly shot down behind cover again. "Tali's inside over there." He indicated towards the door at the far end guarded by geth and a geth colossus. "The geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention."

"How many geth are out there?" John asked.

"The geth are near platoon strength, but the colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot while it's down like that. I tried to move in closer, and one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."

"We need to get to Tali. Got any ideas?"

"Just one. I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger, and I've a rocket launcher that the sun hasn't fried yet. You move in close. I'll keep the colossus busy, maybe even drop its shields. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off."

"You've done enough, Reegar. You don't need to throw your life away."

"Wasn't asking for your permission. My job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot." Reegar argued back and went to fire a shot but John pulled him down behind cover.

"We don't have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team! Stand down!" John ordered. His voice changed from gentle to commanding in a moment. Reegar couldn't help but agree to that commanding voice. "I'm not going to stand here while you run into enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!" Reegar said.

"And if you want to honor your squad, watch my back! I need you here in case they bring reinforcements!" John said.

"All right, Shepard. We'll do it your way. Hit them for me. Keelah se'lai." Reegar agreed finally. John nodded in appreciation. Then his head turned towards his squad. "Garrus and Zaeed onto that right platform. Concentrate your fire on the geth, avoid the colossus. Jack you and Jacob with them. Watch their ass from the flankers. Samara, keep Reegar alive." She nodded. "Understood Commander." John paused. "Miranda, Kasumi and Grunt with me. We will clear the left path."

"Hehehehehe!" Grunt pumped his fists excitedly.

The four of them pushed down the left path while Garrus and Zaeed begin to take down geth after geth from the right side. "When I give the signal, everyone fire on the colossus with everything you have."

"You got it." Came the reply from his squad mates. It took only a couple of minutes to clear the area of the remaining geth. They fell down like flies. And now the Colossus was standing tall and acting as a guard to the door that led to Tali.

"Now!" John ordered. Immediately the Colossus took heavy fire from all directions. It couldn't even pick its targets and was quickly overwhelmed. It took heavy damage and as Reegar said it begin to repair itself.

"Commander, it is repairing itself. You must take it out now." Reegar warned.

John pulled out his own missile launcher and fired five simultaneous shot at the already damaged colossus. The heavy fire destroyed it's already damaged armour. "Get to cover. It's gonna blow!" John said when he saw sparks flying from the body of the colossus. True to his words, in the next second the colossus exploded with an ear deafening sound.

"Tali open the door." John said through comm.

"Just a second. I locked the door to keep more geth from getting inside." Tali acknowledged his request.

 **A FEW MOMENTS LATER**

"Just let me finish this download." Tali murmured. "Thank you, John. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room. This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky."

"A lot of quarians lost their lives here. Was it worth it?" John asked.

"I don't know, John. It wasn't my call." Tali said, her voice still full of regret. "The Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best."

"I didn't ask what some admiral thought. I asked what you thought." John asked placing a hand on Tali's shoulder.

"A lot of people died here. Some of them were my friends. All of them were good at their jobs." She said after holding John's hand in hers. "That damn data better be worth it. The price was too high."

"When can you tell me about your research here?"

"Haestrom's sun is destabilizing. Back when this was a quarian colony it was a normal star. It shouldn't change that quickly."

"Any idea why this is happening?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say that it was dark energy affecting the interior of the star. The effect is similar to when star blow off mass to enter a red giant phase, but Haestrom's sun is far too young for this to be natural."

"Whatever the reason, I'm glad I could help. Once you deliver the data, I could use you on the Normandy."

"I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the fleet. And if the admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die." Tali said.

"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am." Kal'Reegar arrived at that moment limping slightly with the other Normandy crew mates at his toe. Tali was both surprised and happy. "Reegar! You made it!"

"Your old captain's as good as you said. Damn colossus never stood a chance." Reegar said with admiration in his voice.

"If need be, the Normandy can get you out of here, Reegar." John offered.

"The geth didn't damage our ship. Long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine." Reegar said.

"Actually, I won't be going with you. I'm joining Commander Shepard." Tali cut in.

Reegar took a moment to notice both Tali and John. Then he nodded. "I'll pass the data to the Admirality Board to let them know what happened. She's all yours now. Shepard. Keep her safe."

 **NORMANDY DE-BRIEFING ROOM, 30 MINUTES LATER**

"Cerberus saw footage of your action, Tali'Zorah. We're looking forward to having you on the team. Your engineering expertise will really benefit the mission." Jacob said.

"I don't know who you are, but Cerberus threatened the security of the Migrant Fleet. Don't make nice." Tali shot back.

"You don't have to like them, Tali, but we're on the same side this time." John said.

"I assumed that you were undercover, Shepard. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up. If that's the case, I'll loan you a grenade. Otherwise, I'm here for you. Not for them." Tali offered. John chuckled. "Sadly no, Tali. As I said, we're on the same side this time. But if it helps, check out the Normandy while you're here. We've gotten a few upgrades."

"I'll get Tali'Zorah the necessary security clearance to access our systems." Jacob offered.

"Please do. I can't be part of your team if I don't know how the ship works." Tali said. Jacob nodded and left. She turned to John again. "Remember, John, these people thought enslaving Thorian creepers and rachni was a good idea. I'll be in engineering."

"Don't forget to introduce yourself to EDI, the ship's new AI." John said. "And Tali I would greatly appreciate if you meet me in my quarters immediately. There are few things we need to talk about."

"I will be there in a moment." Tali agreed.

 **A FEW MINUTES LATER, AT JOHN'S CABIN**

The door whooshed open as Tali stepped inside the room. She took a moment to notice the room. It was almost as same as the last one. His taste didn't change at all. "What do you want to talk about John?" She addressed John who had a datapad in his hand.

"Sit down." He gestured towards the sofa. She did as she was told and he took a seat beside her. "Look at this." He handed her the datapad. Tali scrolled the pictures for a minute to look at them carefully.

"Collectors." She concluded.

"Yes. I know you have already seen them in Veetor's recorded video. But I thought since we are going to face them eventually I should give you information about them." John said.

"Yes. That would be good. Tell me about them." Tali replied.

For the next half an hour he described the Collectors to Tali. His experience while he fought against them. How they work, how they move, their attack patterns, everything. Tali listened with concentration the entire time never interrupting him. "So, you are saying Harbinger can possess any collector at his will and it becomes enhanced?" Tali asked.

"Yes. Both its defensive and offensive abilities increases a lot. It should be dealt with first or it can do some serious damage." John confirmed.

"You sure it was Harbinger? I mean if it was Harbinger then the Collectors are clearly the servant of the Reapers." Tali asked.

"Positive. The Collectors are indeed working for them. They are the tools of the Reapers." John said.

"This is not good. The Collectors must be stopped at all cost. But why are they abducting only human colonies?" Tali asked.

"We still don't know about that." John sighed.

"You met Kaidan and Ashley at Eden Prime?" Tali asked, carefully gauging his reaction.

"Yeah. It didn't go well. They think I'm a traitor." John said, with a sad expression on his face.

"That's nonsense. You didn't tell them why you are working with Cerberus?"

"I did. But they were not ready to listen. They know me, and still they thought I betrayed Alliance? They didn't trust me, Tali."

Tali put a comforting arm over his shoulder. "I trust you John. So does Garrus. We are here with you, aren't we?"

"Yes. I am glad I have both of you with me." He smiled. "I have a good news Tali."

"What is it?" Tali said looking at his face. His face was practically beaming with joy.

"I have found her." He smiled at her.

"Found her? Who?" Now Tali was confused.

"Miranda. I have found her." He gave her another bright smile.

Tali's heart clenched. She knew that she never had a chance and she thought she had suppressed her feelings but apparently not. She was happy to see him smiling that much. A true smile of happiness. "I am happy for you, John. So, where is she now?"

"She is here on this ship. She is also my XO." John grinned at her.

Now Tali was dumbfounded. Did he meant that Cerberus woman in white suit? "John… are you talking about that woman in white suit?"

"Yeah. She is the one." John said, still smiling.

"Are you sure, John? She is Cerberus. She could be manipulating you." Tali proposed.

"I am dead sure. I didn't mistake in recognizing her." John said with confidence.

"But…"

"Listen to me, Tali. You need to know this. She is the one who brought me back. She is also the one who helped us during our fight with Saren." John revealed. He felt that Tali had the right to know this.

"What do you mean she helped us? She was never there." Tali asked confused. He grinned at her confusion. Then he proceed to tell her all about Miranda, how she helped them while remaining undercover. It took some time for Tali to take it all in. "I don't trust Cerberus, Tali. Specially the Illusive Man. But I trust her. I am not asking you to trust her immediately. Take time. Get to know her, and I bet you will also trust her. She is a good woman. She just don't allow anyone to see it."

"It's not necessary, John. I trust you and if you trust her that's good enough for me. But I will keep an eye on her." Tali said. "No offense."

"None taken. You are welcome to do that." John said.

"But my offer still stands you know. Tell me if you change your mind." Tali joked. John chuckled. "I will let you know for sure, Tali."

 **LOCATION UNKNOWN**

"You brought what I asked for?" The Emperor asked the Shadow Broker agent, standing in front of him.

"Everything is here. The transfer will be done once the payment is completed." The Shadow Broker agent said.

The Emperor indicated his men to do the payment. They did as they were told and the data transfer was done immediately. "It was a pleasure in doing business with you." The Shadow Broker agent said and left from there. The Emperor looked at the datapad in his hand. He opened it and his eyes gleamed seeing the information he was looking for. Perhaps he cannot give to the Collectors what they asked for within time but he can give them Shepard. He knew the Collectors will be more than happy to get their hands on Shepard.


	54. It begins

John kept himself busy in the cargo bay with moving the things in their proper place. Well the number of crates which survived after his training session with Samara. She has declared that she has nothing left to teach him. John looked at his hand. He clenched his fist and his body begin to glow with unnatural biotic powers. He let it go and the aura around him faded. He did it. Finally. He did it. He has learned to control his powers. He thanked Samara profusely after the training session. She declared that it was her pleasure but then she said something which made him more confused than ever. She agreed that she has taught him everything she knew of, but she also told him that although he has gained control over his powers, he still have to learn about his true power. He asked her for help but she simply said that she cannot because she herself didn't know. She warned him that without his true biotic abilities the galaxy stands no chance against the upcoming crisis. What confused him more was when she told him that he must gain that knowledge himself, because it cannot be teached. He agreed reluctantly but he couldn't understand what he needed to do. Before she left, she made a request to meet her because she has some important things to talk about, to which he agreed. Now, he is almost done and then his destination is to meet his Asari friend.

Miranda was sitting in front of her desk with her head in her hands. It has been over a week and still there is no news of her sister, Oriana. Oriana has never failed to message Miranda, at least to inform her that she is safe and secure. But this time it is almost two weeks now and there is no message from Oriana. At first she tried to assure herself that it's probably nothing but now she is getting a bad feeling about this. She was about to get hold of her secret contacts whom she appointed for the safety of her sister, but the door of her office opened at that precise time. Tali'Zorah walked inside her office.

"What can I do for you, Miss….." Miranda asked but stopped by Tali. "Just Tali will do." Tali replied shortly. Miranda nodded. "If you don't mind I would like to talk with you privately for a moment." Tali proposed. Miranda tensed slightly at the mention of talking privately. "Yes?"

"He told me who you are." Tali said. Miranda understood instantly what she is talking about. She nodded and let Tali speak. "I don't know whether I can trust you because you are Cerberus. The organization has a bad reputation."

"I understand." Miranda said.

"But he told me he trusts you, more than anyone and I trust him and his judgment. So, I will rely on it and watch over you. For now, I cannot trust you. No matter who you are to him." Tali said sincerely.

"It's fair I guess. But I must let you know that Cerberus has….." Miranda was once again stopped by Tali. "I don't care about Cerberus or what they have to say about trust. I will never trust them but I am willing to trust you because he said you are different."

Miranda understood Tali's point. "I assure you Tali'Zorah that I have the best intention in my heart for him."

"It better be. Or I will not hesitate to bomb your sorry ass." Tali said and turned around to leave. "It won't come to that. You have my word." Miranda assured the quarian. "It is to be seen." Tali said and left without another word.

Miranda wasn't angry with Tali. She understood why Tali doesn't trust her but she would lie to herself if she say that she is not irritated at Tali's behavior. Miranda got a feeling that Tali's distrust is based on something more than her being a Cerberus operative. But she cannot dwell on this matter. She has more important things to take care of.

She contacted the people whom she hired to watch over Oriana's movement. It was an encrypted chat channel. She waited for an answer from her contacts. She waited for a few minutes for her contacts to assure her that Oriana is safe and secure. Then after some long waited moments messages begin to appear on her screen.

'ORIANA LAWSON, CURRENTLY MISSING FROM HER ADOPTED HOME. LAST SIGHTED WITH A HUMAN GOES BY THE NAME NIKET. STANDBY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION…' Miranda's eyes widened in fear. This is what she feared will happen. Her sister is missing and she is almost sure that her father, Henry Lawson is behind this.

 **ELSEWHERE**

"You wanted to talk, Samara?" John asked after entering the observation deck where Samara was meditating.

"I am glad you are here." She said after opening her eyes. She got up from the floor and walked up to the glass of the observation deck to stare at the stars. For a moment, she didn't speak. "I must ask for your help. That is not easy for me." She said in a low tone.

John understood why she is hesitating to ask for help. She is an asari justicar, the most powerful of Asaris who can do almost anything without any help but here she is asking him for help. "It's all right. Just tell me what you need."

"Before we met on Horizon, I was looking for a very dangerous person. I have managed to locate her. She's been going by the name "Morinth." I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again." Samara explained.

"You said she goes by the name 'Morinth'. Does this mean she has more names?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about her."

"She is an Ardat-Yakshi. It is a term from a dead asari dialect. It means 'demon of the night winds.' But that is mythology. She is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy."

"So is an Ardat-Yakshi a special kind of murderer?"

"Morinth suffers a rare genetic disorder. When she mates with you there is no gentle melding of nervous systems. She overpowers yours, burns it out, and hemorrhages your brain. You end up a mindless shell, and soon after you are dead."

"Isn't she only deadly to the people she mates with?"

"Each time she kills she becomes stronger, smarter, and faster. And she's been doing this for 400 years. She confuses her victims, twists their feelings. They will do anything for her favor."

John's eyebrows shot up. "400 years? That means she is extremely powerful."

"Yes."

"Why does she kill though?"

"For pleasure. Power."

"We need to stop her. Immediately."

"Thank you, Commander. There are no words to express what this means to me." She expressed her gratitude. "She is in Omega."

"I will tell Joker to change the course and head for Omega immediately." John was about to leave but Samara spoke again. "There is one more thing: This creature, this….. monster. She is my daughter."

"I can understand what you are going through but I also understand what must be done." John said to her.

"Yes. My daughter's condition is my fault. And my redemption lies in killing her."

"How did this happen?"

"I spent my youth on the move, adventuring. I killed people, mated with them, or just danced the night away. I learned so much, experienced so much. And then my matron days came. I could finally sit back, bask, and enjoy my family. But in one moment, it was all taken away." John didn't interrupt. He let her speak. "I sat in a med lab while a nearsighted doctor droned at me and I learned that nothing was as I thought it would be. I gave up all that I possessed. I own nothing, claim nothing. All my knowledge will die with me. Now my purpose is to destroy my own children."

"We will find her." John assured.

 **OMEGA, A FEW HOURS LATER**

" _The daily death count on Omega is too high for me to pinpoint an Ardat-Yakshi's location. However, given the reputation of Ardat-Yakshi among the asari, Aria T'Loak may have tracked her movements._ " EDI informed John.

"Thanks EDI. I will take it from here." John replied.

They went straight for Aria who sat in her usual place. This time her guards didn't stop John. "An asari fugitive is hiding out here. She's an Ardat-Yakshi. We need to find her." He went straight to the point.

"I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so…. Empty…. As an Ardat-Yakshi does." Aria murmured to herself.

"You haven't taken steps to kill her?" Samara asked, a little surprised that Aria despite being aware of Morinth didn't take any steps to stop her.

"Why would I? She hasn't tried to seduce me. Her last victim was a young girl. Pretty thing. Lived in tenements near here. That's where I'd start looking." Aria answered carelessly.

"Thanks for the help." John said getting up from his seat.

"Good luck finding her. Better luck catching her." Aria said with a smug smile.

 **FEW MOMENTS LATER**

They reached the home of the victim whom Aria mentioned. No one was there except an elder woman who was the mother of the girl. "Are you here about my daughter? My Nef died a week ago, and no one seems to care. The medics said it was a brain hemorrhage, but that's not true. It was murder. Someone killed my Nef, my baby." She begin to sob as her voice filled with sadness.

"I think she was murdered, too, and I'm looking for her killer." John said.

"Oh, thank you! It's so hard when no one believes you. I'm all alone now." The mother said in gratitude. "Are you…. One of Aria's people?"

"No. I have nothing to do with Aria."

"Okay. Ah… No one else on this hell-hole station gives a damn that my Nef is dead. If you can do something about it, I'll help you however I can."

"She used to meet a lot of people, often?" John asked.

"Not a lot, no. She was shy. Spent most of the time making her sculptures, not hanging out with friends. Something did change in the last few weeks, though. She started talking about an Asari. Morinth." Diana, the mother explained. Samara stiffened hearing the name.

"I see. Please continue." Samara requested.

"I didn't like her. She kept dragging Nef out to clubs, and I'm pretty sure she gave my daughter drugs."

"What kind of a person was this Morinth?"

"I never met her, but Nef talked about her like she was a queen. You'd swear there was no one else alive when she talked about Morinth." John and Samara shared a look. It all fits.

"Do you mind if I examine Nef's room?" John asked politely.

"I didn't want to disturb anything. Her clothes, her art, her sculptures. Everything is the way she left it. The way it will always be. My baby is gone. She's gone and nothing will fix that." At this time tears begin to flow freely from the mother's eyes. John took a step forward and pulled her in a comforting embrace. In return she put her head on his chest and sobbed free, letting all her emotions out. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I just miss her so much."

"It's okay. We've all suffered loss." John comforted her.

"I know what it means to lose a daughter. I will avenge her." Samara added.

"Thank you. Please, if it helps you find her killer, look through her things." The mother gave the permission.

"We will be respectful." Samara assured. The mother nodded in return.

The two of them begin to look in Nef's room. There were a lot of handmade sculptures to look at and they were quite beautiful. But when they found Nef's digital diary it became all clear how Morinth seduced her, used drugs on her and finally killed her.

"This is Morinth's work. She is attracted to artists and creators. Someone with a spark, slightly isolated from their peers. She impresses with sophistication and sex appeal. Then she strikes. The hunt interests her as much as the conquest." Samara explained.

"Anyone who's successfully hunted sapient beings for 400 years warrants caution." John said.

"Morinth speaks to you on many levels. Her body tells yours that she'll bring unimaginable ecstasy. Her scent evokes emotion long hidden. Her eyes promise you things you were always scared to ask of another. Her voice whispers to you after she is done speaking." Samara explained.

"She sounds more like a highly evolved killer than a genetic defective." John said.

"The condition has been present since my people huddled around fires at night. Perhaps it is symbiotic, rather than a defect. Storming her den would be a mistake - she will have hundred escape routes planned. She will go to ground and disappear for fifty years or more. This is the closest I've ever been."

"So we have to lure her out."

"Exactly! Commander, you read my mind." She paused. "Afterlife's VIP section seems her preferred hunting ground. You must go there alone and unarmed."

"Time's wasting. Let's go over there."

"I agree. We can talk more once we're there."

 **LATER, AFTERLIFE VIP**

"You must go alone. Morinth will be watching. Like any predator, she is cautious. You must pique her interest enough that she will approach you. When you are face-to-face, subtly encourage her to invite you to her apartment. I'll follow discreetly and when you are alone, I'll spring the trap. Know this: until I get there, you are in great peril. She will be planning to inflict horrors on you. If you are not careful, you will want her too."

"How can I spark her interest when I'm not even talking to her?"

"Courage or suicidal bravery could attract her. Hurt someone in defense, and she will be excited, but pick a fight, and she'll be bored. Show skill at working smoothly through nightclub crowd. She will be intrigued. She'll want you the moment she sees you. The rest is just a matter of overpowering her caution."

"How do I convince her to take me home?"

"She admires strength, directness, and vigor. Modesty, chivalry, or meekness frustrate and bore her. Violence excites her. You've killed, Shepard, she'll like that."

"Getting her alone, then falling under her sway? That'll require careful timing."

"I will be near, and I will come for you, Shepard. Trust me as I trust and honor you." Samara said.

"I'm not worried about myself falling under her seduction. I'm worried that if she somehow suspects me she will flee." John replied. He knew no matter how much predatory or seductive power Morinth has, she can never seduce him or spark desire inside him.

"Shepard she is very dangerous. You….." John stopped Samara from continuing. This is the first time he has ever interrupted her. "Read my mind, Samara. I know you can do that." He countered. Samara hesitated at first but then she agreed. She placed her hands on both sides of his head and closed her eyes. A moment passed and none of them moved. Samara finally opened her eyes and removed her hands. Her expression was of awe. When she invaded his mind she could only see the face of one woman: Miranda Lawson and there was no one else. Not a single other face.

"You are a remarkable human, Commander John Shepard. You have no danger from Morinth but I am afraid that you must suppress your powers until absolutely necessary. Because if she suspects something she will flee instantly. She must not sense your power. Otherwise she will escape." Samara said. "And Shepard: thank you. I do not share this burden easily, and you are the only soul I can imagine sharing it with." John nodded to acknowledge her gratitude. While she warned him about her daughter, she momentarily forgot with whom she was talking to. The anxiety to catch her daughter clouded her mind. She shouldn't have doubted him, because her daughter can do no harm to him.

John learned from one the human inside the club that there's a beautiful asari there and she likes a band named Expel 10. Then he found one asari dancer getting disturbed by one turian. The turian wanted her for sex appeal which she refused because she is just a dancer. But the turian wasn't ready to let her go. So, John stepped in.

"Don't be like that… I got creds. We'll go back to my place. I got simple tastes." The turian was still pursuing her.

"Back off, asshole. I'm a dancer, not a hooker." The asari dancer warned the turian.

"You got a mouth on you! I'll enjoy watching you use it." The turian said with a smug grin.

"The lady asked you to step away." John cut in.

"What the hell? I'm just looking for a good time - this isn't your business." The turian countered back. John's eyebrows furrowed. In the next second everyone's attention was on the spot where the asari was dancing because of the sound of beating. Momentarily the turian was thrown away.

"Good times are over." John said looking down at the almost unconscious turian.

"Thanks for that. Security was asleep." The asari dancer showed her gratitude.

Then John followed Samara's instruction and instructed the bartender to offer free drinks for once. The bartender agreed and to his surprise the people in the club appreciated it and looked very happy at his generosity.

As he stepped away an asari standing with her back against the wall approached him. "My name is Morinth. I've been watching you. You're the most interesting person in this place. I've got a booth over here in the shadows. Why don't you come sit with me?" She offered. John was alerted immediately. He has found her. He agreed to go with her. Then the two talked for few minutes and with the information he got, he sparked enough interest in Morinth, so that she asked him to accompany her to her apartment.

 **MORINTH'S APARTMENT, A FEW MINUTES LATER**

"I love clubs – people, movement, heat. I can still hear the bass, like the drums of a great hunt, out for your blood. But here, it's muted – and you're safe. Is that what you want Shepard?" Morinth asked.

"People feel safest right before they die." He replied.

"It's true, we're never safe. I've never understood the fascination with safety. Some of us choose differently. Independence over submission. I think we share that, you and I." She smiled seductively at him. He smiled back. Then she came close to him invading his personal space. "Look into my eyes and tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want." Her eyes turned pitch black and John's eyes closed slowly. "Tell me." She whispered in his ears. She drew back to look at his face. Then surprising her, his eyes suddenly opened and they were glowing blue with energy. "Don't count on it." Came the cold reply from his mouth. Then she felt the overwhelming sense of energy radiating from his body. "What?! No! This is impossible! Who are you?" She jumped away from him, ready to strike.

At that moment Samara entered through the door, her body glowing with power. "You are in the presence of a living god, Morinth."

"Mother?" Morinth was surprised. She got no chance because Samara had already used her biotics to slam her against the window of the glass, which cracked on impact. "Do not call me that." Samara warned.

"I can't choose to stop being your daughter. Mother." Morinth countered and with a flash she freed herself from Samara's biotic hold. Then mother and daughter fought each other. John watched.

"I am as strong as she is – let me join you!" Morinth almost pleaded to John.

"I am already sworn to help you, Shepard. Let us finish this." Samara said.

John decided to step in. It was going nowhere. He grabbed Morith's hand in his steel like grip. "End of the line, Morinth." Then he pushed her towards Samara who finished the predator off with a fatal biotic attack. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess." Samara murmured. "I am ready to leave this place and get on with my life. Are you ready?"

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"What do you think I will say? What can I say? I just killed the bravest and smartest of my daughters. There are no words. I will try another time. For now, show mercy on a broken warrior and let us leave." Samara pleaded.

"As you wish." John didn't push her.

 **BACK TO NORMANDY**

John was glad that he was able to help Samara. He cannot even imagine what she is going through at the moment. She just killed her own flesh and blood. A mother killed her own child. But it has to be done and she did the right thing. It was very wise of her.

" _Commander, Operative Lawson would like to speak to you immediately._ " EDI's voice chimed in.

"I will be there in a moment." He replied getting up. He wondered what's wrong now with Miranda. The door to her office opened and he found her sitting in front of her desk, holding her head in her hands.

"Miri. What's going on?"

"John!" She let out a small breath of relief at his presence. "My sister – Ori. She has gone missing. I cannot trace her." Miranda said.

"When was she last seen?" John asked.

"She was last seen with Niket. A few days ago." Miranda answered.

"You trust this guy?"

"Absolutely. He is a good friend. He helped me protecting Oriana from my father."

"Do you have any contacts who can provide more information? Like where was she last seen?"

"Yes. It was one of them who informed me but for the last six hours I am unable to contact with any of them."

"This lack of communication…. Happened before?"

"No. Never. They are very efficient in what they do."

"Then?"

"I am thinking the worst. I think they are all killed." Miranda revealed. She wanted to say something more but a message entered her secure chat channel.

" _Oriana Lawson sighted again a minutes ago with the human Niket at Illium docks. Meet me as soon as you can Miss Lawson." –_ Lanteia.

"She's at Illium, John." Miranda said, looking at him.

"We will go there immediately. EDI tell Joker to plot a course towards Illium."

" _Acknowledged, Shepard."_

Then he turned his attention towards Miranda. She looked worried and miserable. "Hey, come here." He whispered after sitting down on the sofa. She came immediately and snuggled to his side, placing her head on his shoulder and her left palm over his chest. "We will get her back. I promise." He said, lightly kissing her forehead.

"I know." She murmured. "But I am still worried, John. She is my only sister."

"I am here. Close your eyes for few moments."

"I can't sleep now, John."

"I am not asking you to. Just close your eyes. Give your eyes some rest."

She listened to him and closed her eyes. Within a minute he felt her falling asleep with her head still on his shoulder. He knew how tired she is. She probably spent the last few days without sleep worrying about her sister while he was busy. He placed one comforting arm around her and drew her close. She mumbled something before snuggling closer to his body. "I will get Oriana back to you." He murmured looking at her sleeping face.


	55. Failure

**ILLIUM, NOS ASTRA**

Miranda and John has already arrived at the Nos Astra docking bay.

"Where is your contact?" John asked her.

"She is at Eternity bar. We should hurry." Miranda said, anxiously.

They were stopped by a friendly asari with two mechs flanking her.

"Welcome to Nos Astra, Commander Shepard. We've been instructed to waive all docking administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena. If you need any information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?" Miranda asked.

"The order came from Liara T'Soni, who paid all fees on your behalf. She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. She's near the trading floor." Careena said.

"All right."

After entering the trading area, another asari got their attention. "You're Commander Shepard? I saw your….. I guess you would say your aura. I'd recognize you anywhere." The asari's face was full with awe and admiration. She bowed deeply. "I was asked to give you a message if I saw you. It's from a friend on Noveria."

"What message were you asked to give?"

The asari went into some kind of trance then someone else's voice begin to come out from her mouth. "We hide. We burrow. We build. But we know that you seek those who soured the songs of our mothers. When the time comes, our voice will join with yours, and our crescendo will burn the darkness clean. Thank you, Shepard. The rachni will sing again, because of you." After delivering the message the asari turned back to normal.

"I'm glad to hear that you are rebuilding. Are you somewhere close by?"

"The rachni queen is not here. The message is one of many memories I carry from her. I encountered her on an uncharted world. She saved my life. More than that, she gave me a purpose. They are an amazing people, Shepard. The galaxy owes you a great debt for giving them a second chance." The asari explained.

"Thank you for giving me that information. I'm glad my friend on Noveria is doing well." John replied honestly.

"Farewell, Commander Shepard. You are a great man. Remember that." The asari bowed again and left.

"I won't say I saw that coming." Miranda said after the asari left.

"Me neither. Let's go." Miranda nodded and led him towards her contact.

A few minutes later they arrived at the Eternity bar where Lanteia, an asari was waiting for Miranda. She was about to speak immediately but hesitated when she saw a man with Miranda. Seeing her hesitation, Miranda urged her to speak, "It's okay, Lanteia. The Commander is with me. You can speak."

"We've a few complications Miss Lawson. Your trusted source, Niket contacted me, that your father, Henry Lawson has sent Eclipse mercenaries after your sister. Niket was supposed to arrive with your sister at our arranged secured location, but he didn't." Lanteia explained.

"Maybe he had no chance to get there." Miranda said.

"Maybe. But, I think otherwise. I think he betrayed you Miss Lawson." Lanteia spoke the truth.

Miranda's eyes immediately turned angry. Niket is one of the few she trusted the most. If not she would've never entrusted her sister's safety with Niket. "What made you say that?" She asked, anger lacing her tone.

"I managed to intercept a communication between Niket and Henry Lawson. Henry Lawson offered him a life of luxury and I am afraid, that he agreed. In exchange he will hand over Oriana Lawson to your father." Lanteia explained. Then she played the voice call that she intercepted earlier.

Miranda's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Niket betrayed her. Her friend - Niket. But why? What have she done to deserve this? She was so sure that Niket will never….. She was always right not to trust anyone. No one is trustworthy. If Niket can betray her so can anyone. But there is one man, she knew who will never break her trust and he is standing right beside her and she was thankful for that. With him at her side, there's still a chance to save her sister.

"Where was he last seen?" Miranda asked.

"He was trying to get to the docks, the old one which no one uses. But few of my men has managed to block his path. Although we couldn't get your sister back from his grasp. It was hard to do so because Oriana still trusts that man." Lanteia explained.

"We will be going now." Miranda said stepping away from Lanteia.

"One more thing, Miss Lawson." Lanteia stopped them.

"There's someone else beside the Eclipse mercenaries who are trying to get to your sister. I have no idea who they are but they looked dangerous." Lanteia informed. Miranda and John exchanged a look. Things are getting worse they have to move fast.

* * *

 **ORIANA AND NIKET, A FEW HOURS AGO**

"Niket… are you sure they are not following us anymore?" Oriana asked fearfully.

Niket looked around carefully and made sure that no one was watching them. He nodded. "Yes, for the moment we are safe."

"Where's 'Randa? She should have been here already." Oriana asked.

She was doubtful. Things are turning out to be rather odd. First, Niket arrives at her home, saying that Henry Lawson has sent his men after her and Niket will take her to 'Randa. But that incident was days ago. He still didn't took her to her big sister. Something wasn't right because everytime she asked for her sister, Niket would come up with excuses: Like there are complications, Miranda can't make it, Oriana should hide for now before Miranda comes, etc.

Oriana is an intelligent girl and not just intelligent. She is brilliant. She has a sharp mind, no less than her big sister. She didn't need her intelligence to tell that this time something fishy is going on with Niket but she still believed him, because 'Randa said she trusted Niket with her life and that was enough for Oriana. She couldn't tell particularly what is wrong, but Niket's behaviour was odd like trying to avoid Miranda. He shouldn't have done that.

' _Randa said he is loyal and a good friend. But is he still? Can he be trusted?_

Oriana wasn't so sure anymore. She has suspicions that Niket might have betrayed her sister.

"Wait!" Oriana protested.

Niket halted and turned back to face her. "What? We don't have time. We have to go. Now!" He insisted.

"No. First I need you to answer my questions. If you don't, I'm not moving an inch." Oriana said stubbornly.

During her journey with Niket she saw few men who were clearly following them. But they never showed any sign of violence. She wouldn't have suspected anything if she didn't saw Niket signalling them silently behind her back. She confronted him about that, but he explained that they are Miranda's men, watching their back. Oriana didn't believe him even for a second. Those men were different. They wore armours. Miranda's men never wore armours, they are agents. They work from shadows. Oriana knew Niket was lying. From that time she begin to suspect him but there was nothing she could do except going with him.

But the question is why would he betray her and her sister? Isn't he 'Randa's friend? Oriana knew the answer. Niket always had a lust for money. Henry Lawson might have saw through his weakness and easily trapped him in his desire for money. Niket always craved to be rich. Everytime Niket brought her to meet Miranda, he took a lot of credits from Miranda in exchange of his service. A true friend would've never done that but Miranda never minded. She gave him the money without any hesitation.

Oriana knew her sister didn't trust anyone easily. But if she trusts someone, she trusted that person completely. So, Miranda never thought about Niket betraying her. It is sad actually. Oriana knew her sister will probably kill Niket, but she will regret it later. But there is another reason behind Niket's betrayal. Oriana is very observant, she may be young but like her sister she is very observant. She knew Niket fancied 'Randa from the beginning. But her sister never shared those feelings. Miranda's heart belonged to one man only, one whom she could trust blindly and will never have to be betrayed in her life, the one who cares for her more than himself: Commander John Shepard. Miranda never told Niket about John, she was always very secretive. Niket tried many times to show his affection for Miranda but they never worked. She never even glanced at him that way. Now, she understands Niket's feeling. He was heartbroken, angry and jealous. Then her father came with the offer to provide him with insane amount of credits and Niket lost himself.

"Is it necessary? We really have no time." Niket whispered.

"Absolutely." Oriana replied.

"What do you want to know?" Niket asked.

"Where's 'Randa?" Oriana asked.

"We are going to meet her within a few hours and….."

Oriana had enough of his lies. She couldn't stand it any longer. SHe felt disgusted that she trusted this man. "LIAR!" She yelled.

Niket's face turned white. "What?!"

"You are a damn liar, Niket. Tell me the truth. Where are you taking me? You are not taking me to 'Randa." Oriana spat.

"Why would I lie to you?" Niket looked around cautiously. His forehead filled with sweat because of the nervousness. "I….."

"Please spare me your lies. You know if 'Randa finds out, which I am sure she already did, she will kill you once she learns that you betrayed her." Oriana said coldly.

Niket gulped. But suddenly Oriana felt something on her nose and then she knew no more.

* * *

Miranda hurried forward towards the dock with John following her. She couldn't move much farther as she found her way blocked by several mercenaries, filled with vanguards and engineers.

 _Not now. I don't have time for this nonsense._ She thought.

"Halt!" One of the vanguards stopped her. "You will move no more."

"Get out of my way!" Miranda snapped. She was getting impatient.

"Shut up bitch! You take one step forward and we will shred your body with bullets." The vanguard said. He turned to his comrades. "Don't lower your guard men. Boss, said this one is dangerous."

"You can't stop me." She warned and started to glow with her enhanced biotics. Then she struck suddenly within the blink of an eye.

John was watching everything silently. He had not said a word. He let Miranda do whatever she thought would be the best for Oriana. But now he acted. He jumped forward and punched one vanguard in his chest, breaking his bones easily through his armour as if it wasn't even there. The others got distracted by his sudden attack. Miranda seized the opportunity and shoot a hanging container. It crashed down and squashed a few of the mercenaries like bugs. She didn't bother to see. With John at her side she killed the others within minutes. Those mercenaries stood no chance.

* * *

Niket let Henry Lawson's men carry Oriana and bring her to the docks. He would've brought her here long ago but Miranda's secret agents were creating problem for him. He had to avoid them while avoiding suspicion from Oriana. He failed to hide his true intention from Oriana. She saw through his lies easily. He should have expected this. She is Miranda's sister after all. Speaking of Miranda… Niket what Oriana said was true. Once Miranda get to know about his betrayal, she will surely kill him. Miranda is very protective of her sister.

He felt bad for betraying Miranda like this but his anger and jealousy took over his guilt. Then came his desire for money to get rich and live a life of luxury.

He always wanted Miranda, mostly because she is too hot to ignore. He dreamt of bedding her, have fun with her occasionally at night. But that woman never glanced at him once. She never cared or him that way, and she was also not attracted to him, even slightly. Truthfully Niket never cared for Miranda much. During his childhood he stuck with her because he fancied her because of her physical attractiveness. Who can blame him? Then he mostly worked for her, because of the money she always gave him for his services. It was a good income but not enough for him. He wanted to live a life of luxury. And Henry Lawson offered him that. He couldn't say no, Miranda and his sister can go to hell, he didn't care. He never did.

 _But what if she finds you? She will kill you instantly._ A voice in his head said.

No, nothing will happen to him. Once she hands over Oriana to Henry Lawson, he will disappear. Not even Miranda could touch him then. He has nothing to fear. He looked at the unconscious form of Oriana in Henry Lawson's men's arms. He turned straight and found himself in the docks. There was a blue asari sitting on a large wooden crate with a shotgun in her hand.

 _This one must be their leader._ He thought and approached her cautiously.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

A man was sitting in a chair inside a dark room. The room was only lit by the bright star that could be seen through the glasses of the room. The man released a puff of smoke from his mouth after removing the cigar that he wa smoking. He head a beeping sound coming from one of his computers in the room. He activated it and found a personal message addressed to him from K.C.

He opened the message. Then his mechanical eyes shone with cruelness that was never seen before. He took another puff from his cigar and leaned back in his chair.

 _Is Miranda really involved in a relationship with Shepard? Or she is just seducing him to make him do what she says._ _He really doesn't care what Miranda does with her personal life, as long it does not affect his goals. But_ _he knew his thought was absurd. Miranda is not that kind of woman. She never slept with her marks, she never let anyone touch her and he knew she will be no different with Shepard. But his contact seems to be hundred percent sure that Miranda is sleeping with Shepard and it is way more than a physical relationship._

 _What if Miranda gets soft and does something stupid? He knew Shepard has the power to do that. Shepard has the ability to convince even the most stubborn peoples around the galaxy. That's one of his great qualities that makes him a great leader._

 _But being the head of the organization he cannot allow this. He have to remain silent and observe until they put a stop to the Collectors and then if needed he will make Miranda disappear from the face of the galaxy, if necessary. He will just have to wait._

* * *

"Take her away hurry!" Niket said to the asari.

The asari didn't seem to care. She lazily ordered her men to put Oriana inside the shuttle that was waiting for them. Her men nodded and begin to carry Oriana towards the shuttle. But they couldn't. There was a large blast and the shuttle destroyed. The mercenaries immediately drew their weapon in defense. They found themselves surrounded by at least thirty men, armed to teeth in strange armours. They were outnumbered.

The mercenaries didn't surrender. They tried to put up a fight against the odds but they were quickly taken care of. Even their leader, the blue asari was dead.

Niket couldn't think of anything. Who are these men? Where did they come from? But one thing he knew. They were not Miranda's agents. Miranda's agents were all dead, killed by Henry Lawson's men. Niket had the privilege of knowing those agents because Miranda trusted him enough to give him that information. he took advantage of that and as a result those agents were killed before they could utter a single word.

Then he saw one of the men in strange armours slowly picked Oriana up on his shoulder and begin to walk away. Niket watched everything with round eyes. He didn't move an inch. But at that moment the elevator door to the docks opened and two persons came in. It was Miranda and ….. Commander Shepard?

What is Commander Shepard doing with Miranda? Why is he here? His blood ran cold when he saw Miranda's cold blue eyes looking at him. At that moment something unexpected happen. Niket heard a strange voice coming from those strange men's comms. The voice only gave one command: " _Leave no witness._ "

Niket knew what would happen next. He wanted to run but his legs didn't move. There was a large bang followed by another gun shot and then he felt massive pain at his lower back. He fell down.

XXXXXX

As soon as Miranda exited the elevator she saw him: Niket. Her friend. The one whom she trusted with her life. And he betrayed her. Her eyes immediately turned cold. But then she saw her: Oriana. She was unconscious and was being carried by a man wearing a strange armour. There was also a strange logo on their armour. She couldn't remember but she has seen that logo somewhere. But she had no time to dwell on that matter. She have to save her sister. At any cost.

She was about to run but then she saw one of those men in strange armours raising his gun on Niket's back. She wasted no time and fired. But she missed, partially. Her shot grazed the man's armour. Another shot rang out, but this time from the gun of another man in same kind of armour. Niket fell down.

She gritted her teeth in anger. With a powerful biotic attack she crushed that man. But there were too many of them. John was at her side fighting against them to hurry up and get Oriana but those men has already put Oriana inside a shuttle. She and John tried to get past those men, but it was impossible because they were too many in number to get past them within seconds. She killed those men mercilessly with the help of John, but she couldn't do anything about Oriana. She had to see the shuttle flying away.

"Ori…." She murmured. Tears fell from her eyes silently.

* * *

 **NOTE: SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER. I AM NOT RUSHING ANYTHING. THIS CHAPTER IS DONE SHORT PURPOSEFULLY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUTURE CHAPTERS.**

 **I WANT READERS TO LET ME KNOW WHETHER THEY LIKE WHERE THE STORY IS HEADED OR NOT. IF NOT, THEN I WILL QUIT BECAUSE IF READERS DON'T LIKE IT, THERE'S NO POINT IN WRITING. LET ME KNOW.**

 **P.S:** If you think that Shepard could easily get past those men within seconds by using his biotics, then no. He couldn't. Yes, he took training from Samara about biotics but she also said that he still has one more thing to learn and it is the ability that gives him overwhelming powers. (This is for clearing the confusion).


End file.
